


Moving Day

by Layora88



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Bookshop owner Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Commander Steve Rogers, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, James is a bit banged up, James is in to Steve, Lonely Steve Rogers, M/M, Modern Bucky Barnes, Modern Tony Stark, Moving up North, No Iron Man, Parent Tony Stark, Past, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Retired Steve Rogers, Sexual Abuse, Snow Storms, Steve's going to kick some ass, Threats of Violence, Threats of torture, Tony Stark Friendship, Tony Stark is not technologically inclined in this xD, Torture, Violence, Vulnerable Bucky Barnes, Young Peter Parker, dark-ish steve rogers, for like a hot minute, if you hadn't noticed, not described
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Layora88/pseuds/Layora88
Summary: This was supposed to be an original work with original characters and that...honestly didn't last very long. So yeah, here's an original piece of fan fiction that's incomplete but I'm still working on it. <3Commander Rogers, it has a nice ring to it and these days, Steve definitely prefers the Commander title. Captain's just...it's too much pressure and he's grateful to have hung up the shield. Now he gets to retire, in peace, hopefully. That's what today is about. It's moving day and he should be thrilled and he is, it's just...it's a change and he's never been particularly good with change. He's managing though and besides, his new house is beautiful and surrounded by mountains and greenery and yeah, it's a bit cold, but it's beautiful out here and so quiet. This is going to be good for him, he knew that. Knows it.Moving Day doesn't exactly go according to plan, though. At least he's met a few friendly faces and everyone seems nice enough. Including James, the sweet book shop owner with a warm smile and kind eyes and great taste in desserts.But a particularly bad snow storm has stolen his attention along with a surprise visit from a friend. The rest of Moving Day does not go nearly as planned.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/James "Bucky" Barnes
Comments: 64
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

Steve really didn’t know what to expect on moving day, but this certainly wasn’t it. Sure, he thought there would be a little hustle and bustle, the general moving day woes of careless movers with too-heavy boxes, not knowing where to put things, tracking snow and dirt through his new home and maybe breaking a lamp or an end table. But not this, not this lack of production and exceptional lack of chaos. It was sort of nice, though?

“We’re all finished here, Mr. Rogers.”

“Ah, that’s great. You guys’ve been a huge help,” He huffed, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“That’s what we’re here for, but we’ll get outta’ your hair and be on our way. I heard a report on the radio about an hour ago, something about a storm system moving through? Figured I’d warn you, make sure you head into town for anything you might need, groceries and the like.”

“ _Oh-_ “ Steve glanced down at his watch and blew out a breath. It was already 4 o-clock. “Thanks, yeah I have no groceries and I’d better get a move on. I’ll check in with the weather report on the road. You guys gonna’ be okay to get going so quickly?”

“Oh sure,” He waved it off, nice guy. _Brad_ , he’d introduced himself as. “We’re not stayin’ in town though, so we’re gonna’ head out.”

“Of course, thank you again. You’ve already got your cheque, right?”

Brad hummed user his breath, bobbing his head. “Mr. Stark’s already taken care of everything, don’t worry.”

“ _Great-_ “ Steve sighed, _beyond_ relieved. He’d have to call and talk to his friend again before the day was out, let him know how everything went. “Thanks again and have a safe drive, yeah?”

“Sure thing! Take care!” He called, already heading back to the truck where Steve could see a few of the moving crew chatting.

He waved at them and nodded and a few of the guys called out their goodbye’s. Steve watched them from the bottom of the stone steps for a moment as they piled into the truck together and eventually took off down the drive.

Steve exhaled deeply and scratched at the top of his head, looking around and feeling a little at a loss. “Well then,” He sighed, hands drifting to his hips as he glanced over at his SUV. “Guess I need to go shopping.”

He went and locked up the house, barely having even looked around the place. He’d seen lots of photos, even done a virtual walkthrough with his agent and today he’d done a quick walk around to make sure everything was in order but that had been about it. He’d take a closer look later. Right now he needed to make the trip into town to pick up some food or he was going to be very hungry soon. Come to think of it, he was hungry now.

He grimaced and unlocked his car, huffing as he pulled himself up into the SUV. He fished his phone awkwardly out of his jeans pocket and looked up quick directions to the nearest grocery store. He knew the small town not twenty-minutes away was basically it unless you wanted to make the hour long trek into one of the bigger cities nearby. Not that there _was_ much nearby.

It was sort of the appeal for him, not gonna’ lie. He pulled his sunglasses out of the centre console and slipped them on before pushing on the button to start the vehicle. Pulling down the drive was easy enough, even if it was rather steep. He knew it’d be a bit of a bitch to shovel or snow blow on his own, but that’s what the company Tony had hired was for. A snowplow was going to be much faster.

He flicked on the radio and glanced down at his cellphone as it pinged to alert him of an upcoming turn. It was honestly far too simple to get into town. Two roads and his was…well, it was a bit windy but at least it was paved, and plowed. The main road was too and he’d been assured that it would be well maintained in the winter so he shouldn’t have to worry.

Unfortunately, Steve was a worrier.

He hummed as he listened to the radio announcer and yeah, okay, that wasn’t good. There was a terrible storm front moving in and it was bound to wreak some havoc on the roads. The last thing he needed was to be trapped in his new home without food or worse, running water and heat. At least he had the utilities covered, _well_ , Tony had it covered. He exhaled deeply and pulled onto the main road that’d take him into town.

It wasn’t as windy but it was definitely more than a bit precarious. The road was carved into the mountainside and yeah it was well maintained but it was still intimidating, looking up the length of the towering mountain to his right and then just- _nothing_ -off to his immediate left. The guard rail was thick and _looked_ sturdy, so he could only hope it was true.

The tunnel on the other hand…he hadn’t exactly enjoyed driving through it on his way up here, but at least it wasn’t all that long _and_ it had been lit. So that was a plus. He tuned back in to the radio announcer for a distraction as he approached the tunnel and exhaled slowly as he drove into the darkened space.

“ _This is not a storm you wanna’ be caught in ladies and gents. First one of the season and it’s gonna’ be a doozy. Make sure you’ve got enough in your pantry, extra water and gas and the like and get home, hunker down spend time with your family. I’ll be here to weather it out with you so keep the radio on and bundle up. Here’s a song to warm you up-_ “

Steve had to laugh, because _The Pina Colada Song?_ Really? He shook his head with an amused laugh and was soon singing along despite himself. He was already out of the tunnel and he hadn’t even realized.

.

Town was, well, it was something all right. But to be fair, his agent had warned him. Coming from New York to uh, _this_ was going to be a change, he knew that. _Wanted_ that. He thought he was ready for it too.

“Guess we’ll see,” He sighed, pulling in to the towns only grocery store.

It was a nice town though. Quiet and peaceful. He could see a few people out and about, wandering the street, the _only_ main street. There were several quaint shop fronts, little boutiques and even a cafe that he could see. He paused as he stepped out of his _Range Rover_ when he caught sight of a hanging sign that simply said, _Books_.

“If there’s time,” He murmured, a soft smile pulling at his lips as he shut the door behind him and headed for the supermarket.

There had only been a half dozen cars in the lot but there was easily a dozen or more people in the store, most of which were employees, he soon realized. It wasn’t a big store by any means, but it looked to be well stocked, even with the coming storm. He hummed softly to himself as he grabbed a cart and startled not a second later when a voice called out to him.

“Hi there!”

He abruptly turned to look and found a young woman positively beaming at him. “Uh, hello.”

“You must be new in town,” She laughed, leaning against the counter of the register she was attending.

“You could tell, huh?” He laughed and she grinned at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Well, to be fair I’ve lived here my whole life so I can pretty much tell when someone doesn’t belong,” She chuckled and Steve’s smile fell.

She seemed to pause as his expression shifted and she quickly dropped her arms. “I didn’t mean it like that!” She rushed to assure him, hands extended towards him in an almost pleading manner.

“I-it’s okay,” He shrugged and looked away for a moment. “I am new in town though, bought the place up-“

“On Highpoint, _yeah_ ,” She finished and he nodded. “Nice place, used to just be a vacation home. But I hear you’re in it for the long haul.”

Steve cleared his throat slightly and nodded. “That’s the plan.”

She grinned at him. “Sounds good, _hey_ , I’ve gotta’ get back to work but let me know if you need help with anything. I’m Susan, by the way and Rhonda- _my manager_ -she’s around and so is Kyle, one of the stock boys if you can’t find something. But yeah, welcome to Yera.”

“Thanks, Susan. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Steve,” He offered and she grinned at him and winked.

“Oh, I know, Mr. Rogers.”

He blinked, surprised but uh…why he was surprised he didn’t exactly know. It was a small town after all. He chuckled and shook his head. “Small town?”

“Small town,” She mirrored and Steve could only smile and shake his head. At least she didn’t seem to be all starstruck so maybe they _didn’t_ know who he was after all.

“See you around, Steve,” She called and he hummed and nodded, heading down an aisle.

.

He busied himself with picking up various items. An initial grocery shop wasn’t going to be cheap but, well, he’d be fine, _more than_. He stocked up his cart and it was honestly overflowing. He grimaced a bit, thinking back to Susan. He sort of felt bad she was going to have to help him bag everything.

“ _Hey-_ “

His thoughts were interrupted by a young man’s voice and he turned to find a kid, no older than fifteen, surely, smiling at him and pushing an empty cart. “Uh, hi there. You must be Kyle.”

“That’s me!” He offered, grinning widely. “I thought I’d come help you out. Looks like you’re stocking up to feed an army.”

Steve laughed softly and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Well, I’m sort of starting from scratch and I heard there’s a storm coming through soon.”

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be pretty nasty. You can see it already coming down off the mountain,” He agreed and Steve exhaled shakily and nodded. “Heard you’re the new guy in town, Mr. Rogers, it’s nice to meet you.”

“That’s me, it’s nice to meet you too, kid.”

Kyle grinned at him and motioned to his cart. “How about I take that up to the front, start getting it rung through for you while you grab anything else you might be missin’?”

“That sounds great, kid. Thanks for your help,” He sighed and Kyle just breamed at him and passed him the empty cart.

“No problem! I’ll see you up at the front.”

Steve watched him go, pushing the loaded cart and shook his head. People were nice here, at least. At least the people he’d met so far. “ _Definitely_ different from New York,” He mused, already turning to finish his shopping.

.

Kyle was kind enough to help him load up his car and point him in the direction of a few of the places in town. There were a couple of clothing stores, a general store, an animal shelter and he was pleased to learn that there was indeed a bookshop and apparently the cafe next door to it made some pretty amazing cakes and treats so that was definitely going to be one of his next stops.

“Any idea what time this storm is gonna’ blow in?” He asked, closing up the trunk and glancing over at Kyle who was gazing up at the mountains behind them.

They were beautiful, Steve mused, shielding his eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun as he looked up at the snowy mountainside. There was still lots of greenery visible, big pine trees and evergreens were littered all over the rock face. He exhaled deeply and breathed in even deeper, enjoying the crispness of the mountain air.

“Probably hit by 8,” Kyle huffed. “At least, that’s what Martin keeps rambling about.”

“Martin?”

Kyle nodded, turning his attention back to Steve. “You know the one radio station you get out here?”

Steve had to laugh, because yes, he did. They’d all just about turned to static when he’d gotten into the valley with the moving truck puttering along behind him. “That’s Martin?”

“That’s him,” Kyle chuckled. “He lives up on that hill there-“

He pointed to a small hillside set back a ways behind the shops and sure enough, Steve could see a house up on the hill top with a large tower fenced in around it.

“Does the broadcast right outta’ his home,” Kyle yawned and apologized. “Sorry, I’d better get back inside. Shift’s almost over and I gotta’ finish stocking the water.”

“That’s alright, thanks again for all your help. _Here_ -“ Steve pulled out his wallet along with a couple’a twenties. “One for you and you see that Susan gets the other, yeah?”

Kyle blinked at him slowly, gaze flickering between the cash and Steve’s eyes. “You don’t have to do that, Mr. Rogers. I’m happy to help.”

Steve smiled and nodded, taking a step and pressing the bills lightly into the kid’s hand. “I know and I appreciate it. Just make sure Susan gets hers, all right?”

Kyle’s smile was timid but he nodded. “Of course, she’ll be real happy. If you ever need anythin-“

“I know where to find you,” Steve chuckled, winking at him and he grinned.

“I’ll be here!” He called, fingers already curling around the bills as he turned to leave.

Steve watched him go and pulled his hat down a bit as a gust of wind threatened to steal it from him. He sighed and made sure the car was locked up. He’d just run over to the bookshop and cafe. He had extra gas for the backup generator in the garage already so he didn’t need to stop at the station. This would be his last stop and then he’d head home, beat the storm.

It was just on 4:30 now and he sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets as he made his way up the street.

There were a few people chatting outside here and there, a couple of cars on the road but overall it was rather quiet. He waved to a couple of elderly ladies as they watched him cross the street and they waved cheerfully back before turning and ducking their heads close to one another.

He hid his grin in the collar of his coat. Small towns were terrible gossip pits, at least, according to Tony. He could only laugh. The whole town probably already knew who he was and had something to say about it.

“ _Oh well_ ,” He sighed, kicking off the bit of snow that had gathered on his boots, already pulling open the book store’s door. Maybe they didn’t know _exactly_ who he was or at the very least, wouldn’t care?

The bell above his head was so adorable that he found himself smiling as he closed the door behind him and took a look around. “Oh _wow_ ,” He blurted, startled.

The book shop had looked so unassuming from the outside but _inside?_ It was huge and every single bit of space was taken up by books. _Go figure._ He almost laughed at himself but seriously, the walls were lined with filled bookshelves and there were actual _stacks_ of books just… _there_ on the floor, wherever there was space really and despite the size of the shop, it seemed like there simply wasn’t enough room for them all.

The aisles were much narrower because of all the random stacks of books but he thought it was the most magical place he’d ever stepped foot into. He shook his head, bewildered.

“I hope that was a good _wow?_ ”

Steve startled slightly and looked over to find the source of the voice. A young man, definitely much younger than himself. “It was a good wow,” He agreed, hoping he didn’t sound as dumbstruck as he felt, _ugh_ he probably _looked_ like a complete idiot.

“Well, that’s good,” The man laughed and Steve’s gaze flickered over his features, softened with a thin layer of fat that made Steve want to pinch that little bit of pudge beneath his softened jaw.

He was beautiful. Was what Steve was trying to say.

“I’m Steve,” He managed belatedly and the man smiled at him warmly.

“Nice to meet you, Steve. I’m James. I’d heard the town was getting a new resident.”

Steve huffed and took a few steps towards James, watching the younger man shift on his stool behind the counter. “I guess news around here travels pretty quickly.”

James laughed and it was wry and sweet and Steve found himself smiling even brighter at the sound. “You have no idea,” James snickered, leaning his elbows on the counter between them. “I moved in about 8 months ago now and yeah, didn’t take long to find out who the town gossips were. Look out for Wendy and Chris, _oh_ , Susan too-“

Steve laughed. “I just met a Susan, over at the grocery store?”

James groaned. “Look out for her, I’m tellin’ya.”

Steve grinned and shook his head. “So you’re fairly new to town, then?”

“Yeah,” He sighed, shrugging lightly. “Moved up here to get away from it all, y’know?”

Steve nodded, gaze softening. “Yeah, I’m from New York myself, just needed to put some space between it all.”

James hummed and nodded. “I know the feeling.”

Steve got the impression that he truly did.

“So what can I do for you today?” He asked, sitting back up and sliding off his stool.

“Oh, well I haven’t exactly got anything specific in mind,” He admitted, rubbing lightly at the back of his neck. “I just wanted to check the place out. I do my fair share of reading and I’m not exactly a fan of reading off a tablet. I like the feel of a book in my hand-“

“Don’t have to tell me,” James laughed, having come out from behind the counter. “I love books.”

Steve smiled, shaking his head. “Couldn’t tell.”

James scrunched up his nose adorably and Steve really had to stop staring. “Alright,” He started, interrupting Steve’s thoughts. “Well, what kinds of books do you enjoy?”

“Mystery, actually,” He cleared his throat a bit and shrugged, following James as he started towards one of the aisles. “But I do like art history too, it’s what I majored in.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I draw and paint when the mood strikes me.”

James made a curious sound. “If you ever need paints or supplies, I’ve got a good contact. I actually sell a lot of pencil sets and the like to a few in town. Couple of aspiring artists up the drive, Sam and Amy.”

“Oh, that’s great to know. I know I’ve got plenty of stuff packed but when I start to run low-“

“You know where to go,” James winked and Steve huffed a soft laugh and nodded.

“I know where to go,” He agreed.

.

James helped him pick out a couple of books and after he’d paid for them, he happened to mention that he was heading over to the cafe.

“Oh, you’ll love the cakes there, _honestly_ -“ He laughed and Steve grinned.

“That’s what I’ve been told,” He chuckled and at the door, he realized that James was in the process of flipping the open sign to closed.

Of course then he caught sight of the hours that were posted. “ _Shit_ , I’m sorry. You closed like a half an hour ago.”

James shrugged, the tiny crows feet at his eyes crinkling. “Don’t worry about it. I was just doing a bit of paperwork and it’s not like I have far to go.”

Steve blinked and the brunet pointed up. “I live upstairs.”

Steve nodded, smiling softly to himself as he stepped outside. “That’d be dangerous.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” James asked him curiously.

“You live right next door to the cafe, if I lived here, I’d be here every morning and probably every afternoon,” Steve confessed with a grin.

James laughed and-and was he _blushing?_

“I… _maybe_ visit a couple times a day,” He admitted and Steve watched as he wrapped his arm lightly around his middle in such a shy gesture.

Steve could only beam at him. “So I guess you know which cakes are the best?”

James huffed in amusement and nodded, leaning lightly against the half open door now, Steve already out on the sidewalk. “The lemon meringue pie is to die for.”

Steve laughed and shook his head and James’ smile only grew. “That’s not a cake!”

James flushed and shrugged. “It’s still to die for. If you like chocolate though, I suggest the white chocolate cheesecake.”

“Oh yeah?” Steve teased. “Sweet?”

“Definitely,” James chuckled and Steve couldn’t help the flush rising to his cheeks. He hoped he could pass it off as the cold affecting him.

“It was nice talking to you, James,” He called softly, holding up the books. “And thanks for the books. I’ll see you around.”

“You too, Steve,” He called back, nodding as he then turned and headed for the cafe.

.

Steve had barely stepped inside the cafe, smelling of cinnamon and cocoa, nutmeg and just _sugar_ before he was being spoken to by an elderly woman _._ “Well, hello there, dearie.”

Steve looked up and smiled at the woman behind the counter. “H-hi there. I’ve been told you make some excellent cakes.”

She laughed and gestured to a couple of the display cases. “That’s what I’ve been told.”

Steve chuckled softly and joined her up at the counter. The shop was empty and quite small, but it seemed that the kitchen was to blame for that. It must have taken up over half the shop. “I’m Steve,” He greeted properly, offering her his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Steve. You’ll be the fellow that just bought the Highpoint house, then?”

“That would be me, yes,” He agreed and resisted the urge to shake his head. No secrets in this town.

“ _Wonderful_ , that house has needed a proper owner for many years now,” She sighed. “ _Oh_ , I’m Margaret, by the way.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Margaret.”

She hummed and looked over her shoulder. “My husband, Bill is around here someplace, I’m sure he’ll be happy to say hello when he sees you.”

“I’ll be happy to say hello as well,” He agreed. “Do you have any recommendations? I’ve been told the lemon meringue pie is to die for and something about a white chocolate cheesecake?”

Margaret laughed and Steve’s smile grew at the carefree sound of her voice. “You’ve been to see, James, I see?” She queried, gesturing to the books in his arms.

He chuckled softly and nodded. “You caught me.”

“Sweet boy that James,” She sighed and it was under her breath, quiet and he wasn’t sure he was meant to hear it. Regardless, it did make him smile because _yeah_ , James had been sweet.

“He does enjoy both and the consensus around town is that the cheesecake is the favourite,” She chuckled and Steve smiled, looking into the display case and seeing all of the lovely baked goods.

“Well, then I think I’d like to try a slice of each?”

Margaret nodded, pleased as punch it would seem as she busied herself getting a box together for him. “Excellent, what else can I get for you? Something for the wife?”

“Oh, I’m not married. No partner,” He explained and immediately could have kicked himself.

Not only did he realize that had been a blatant trap to see if he was single, he’d also inadvertently exposed himself as being gay. _Shit_. Not that he was _ashamed_ of it, he just didn’t know much if anything about this woman and _damn it_ -

“ _Oh_ , not to worry, Steve,” She consoled, closing the box and putting a sticker on it to keep it closed. “Your secret is safe with me,” She chuckled and Steve really did want the ground to swallow him whole. Because she’d obviously read him like an open book.

_Perfect._

Because he somehow very much doubted anything he’d said to this woman would be kept secret for long. _Oh well_.

“No secret,” He somewhat recovered, shrugging lightly. “Just haven’t found the right person.”

She hummed and shifted to the register and Steve paused, looking down at the last slice of lemon meringue pie.

“Of course, dearie. Is there anything else you’d like? We also sell coffee and tea,” She offered and he shook his head, gaze still snagged on the pie.

“N-no thank you,” He managed, thinking back to the housewarming gift from Tony sitting on the kitchen counter. “I was wondering though…”

“Hmm?”

“Could-would you-“ He huffed, turning his attention back to her. “Would you be able to drop off the last slice of pie to James for me? He was very helpful and I thought it would be a nice gesture.”

She blinked at him and though her smile was slow to spread, it wasn’t any less genuine. “I’ll make sure he gets it. But wouldn’t you rather bring it to him?”

“Oh no, I-I don’t know him well and I just-I thought it would be better coming from someone he knows,” He shrugged, aware that he was blushing lightly but there was nothing for it.

“Alright, I’ll take it to him myself, I’m sure he’s gone up to his apartment now anyway.”

“Thanks,” He breathed, clearing his throat slightly. “What do I owe you?”

She rang up the two pieces of pie and the cake for him and when it came time to leave, he slipped an extra twenty into the tip jar on the counter without her noticing. He’d headed out, her promise to deliver the pie to James shortly fresh in his mind. He’d barely stepped outside and nearly bumped into the aforementioned Bill.

A sweet older gentleman, the town handyman of sorts which was good to know. They shared quick introductions and Bill left him a phone number in case he ever needed any help with the place. He quickly learned that the man’s son Eckart would be the one that did the snowplowing for him, along with Wendy and Chris’ daughter Maddie.

It was all helpful information, of course it was, but Steve would be hard pressed to remember everyone’s names and he hadn’t even met half the people he’d heard about. He huffed at the thought as he slipped into his _Range Rover_ and swiped his sunglasses. Geeze, the glare against the snow really was something.

He hummed softly as he turned up the radio and headed for home. _Home_. He let out a deep sigh, his hands flexing against the steering wheel. It would be a home soon. “It will,” He murmured.

He needed that much.

He was coming up to the tunnel and he grimaced slightly at the mere sight of it. He was going to have to get used to it eventually. He rolled his eyes at himself and took a deep breath.

It really wasn’t that bad. Even if he grimaced and maybe drove a bit faster than he perhaps should have.

He turned the radio down after listening to Martin deliver the weather report. The storm was going to last _days?_ “Shit,” He muttered and shook his head.

He knew that might be a possibility, still didn’t mean it didn’t make him nervous. He frowned when he caught sight of a black SUV turn onto the main road from the South. It hadn’t come from his street, no other properties down his way, but he’d heard there was a motel down a ways on the mountain, only about fifteen-minutes away or so and wondered if that’s where they were coming from.

Whoever it was, they were doing about double the speed limit and not exactly sticking to their lane. He slowed down, making sure to give whoever it was a bit more room. They could be a drunk driver for all he knew. He watched as the vehicle approached and the driver obviously realized he’d been straddling the line and quickly pulled back into his lane.

Steve couldn’t help the frown as they drove by, though. There were two people that he could see, both male and they were absolutely sneering at him. He looked away and rolled his eyes as they passed. He was not one for road rage and they both looked like trouble, so he kept his gaze straight as he carried on. They were well out of sight as he turned onto his street.

Within ten-minutes he was pulling into the drive and-and there was another car here?

“What the-“

He’d barely put the car in park before the doors were opening and out popped Tony. “Tony!” He shouted in surprise, equally as surprised when Peter stumbled out of the car with an enormous grin on his face. “Peter!”

“Steve!” Peter shouted, delighted to see him, clearly.

“What on earth are you two doing all the way up here?” He laughed, bending and scooping the kid up when he virtually launched his little body at him.

“We thought we’d come make sure you were getting settled in alright,” Tony admitted and Steve smiled, his heart absolutely swelling with warmth.

“We wanted to see your new house! It’s so big!” Peter squealed and Steve grinned.

“I’m so happy to see you guys, really. This is a wonderful surprise,” He confessed and Tony blessedly ignored the welling of tears he could see in his friend’s eyes.

“I’m glad and-“

“We have another surprise for you!” Peter screeched and both men winced and looked around.

Avalanches were an actual worry out here. “How about we don’t scream bloody murder, sweetheart and _calmly_ tell Steve about his surprise. Or better yet-“ Tony chuckled. “Why don’t you go get it for him?”

Within seconds Peter was squirming like an eel in his arms and Steve laughed as he quickly set the boy down. “You’ve already done so much for me, Tony,” He sighed and breathed out roughly when the man came in for a hug that was just on the side of fierce.

“And you’ve done just as much for me, pal,” He murmured, squeezing Steve.

Steve squeezed him right back and by the time they parted, Peter was yelling for Steve to, “ _Come see, Steve! Come see!_ ”

Steve heard Tony huff and he couldn’t help his smile as they headed over to see him. “We’re coming, buddy,” Steve chuckled and Peter grinned and squealed again and it only made both men grin all the wider.

He was always such a happy kid. It was really refreshing. Steve _loved_ spending time with him.

“Well, go on!” Tony laughed. “Hang on tight though, remember?”

Peter beamed and nodded, standing up on the seat in the car with the door barely ajar, little head poking out the top and Steve could only watch in surprise as he pushed open the door further and hopped down with-with a-

“A puppy?” Steve said, voice faint and he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to hide his tears in a minute.

“She’s for you!”

Steve dropped down onto his knee, heedless of the slush and snow on the drive as Peter and the puppy ran the few feet to him. “Oh wow-“ Steve breathed, absolutely beside himself as the little spaniel it looked like, jumped at him as he held out his hands.

“Her name’s Lily,” Tony chuckled, watching the pair, Peter still holding onto the leash tightly while Steve pet her. “Picked her up from the shelter near our home. She’s only six months, real young. But I’ve been on a wait list for a pup and when she came in…” He shrugged and Steve looked up at him.

“Thank you, Tony. Seriously, I-you knew how much I-“

“ _Steve_ -“ He interrupted quietly. “Just-“ He breathed out roughly through his nose. “Say thank you for the dog and be done with it. You know I don’t do-“ He waved his hand and Steve only smiled brighter, fingers digging lightly under the pup’s floppy ears to give her a good scratch.

Peter had his arms around the puppy’s belly and was in danger of falling into Steve if he didn’t scoop them both up. So, he did.

Peter laughed as he was settled on Steve’s hip, he easily lifting the puppy up in his other arm and cradling her to his chest. “Thank you both very much, but I hope you’ve brought puppy food because I-“

“We have toys _and_ food,” Peter assured him and he could only grin.

“That’s great, _oh_ , you’re planning on staying, right? There’s a really bad storm coming through soon and they’re even saying it could go on for a few days. I haven’t got anything set up yet but-” Steve worried but Tony quickly nodded, a furrow between his brows.

“It’s okay, Steve. Yeah, we were hoping to stay with you and we brought sleeping bags so you don’t even have to worry about us, but I know there’s that motel down the road-“

“No, no, please stay. I’d love it if you did. I’ve got extra beds, they’re just not set up yet, I’m sure we can put together at least one bed for you two and I just went grocery shopping so we’re fully stocked,” Steve offered, glancing up at the house and back down to the pup in his arms, Peter’s little hands buried in her fur.

“That sounds great, Steve and I’d love to help you get settled in, help with the groceries, unpack,” Tony offered and Steve was so, so grateful for this man.

He let out a sigh that was far too shaky as he nodded. “I’d really like that,” He breathed and relaxed under the weight of his friend’s hand on his shoulder. “Let’s head in, I’ll get Peter and Lily settled in the living room and we can grab the groceries and your bags.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Tony agreed and Steve let out a heavy exhale.

.

They spent the next hour getting the groceries carried in and put away, Tony and Peter’s bags and things brought in as well. They’d brought along a cute dog bed for Lily and even a crate that didn’t even _look_ like a crate, more like a dog castle fit for a princess with pink cushions and everything. Steve had to laugh at the extravagance.

He’d absolutely beamed when he found out that Peter had picked it out for her, along with the pink leather and silver collar and all the squishy soft toys. At least only a couple of them squeaked.

They’d thrown a couple of pizzas in the oven while they’d organized things and after all the groceries were put away, they sat down to eat it. Peter had kept himself busy in the living room by the fireplace colouring while Lily laid down on her cushion and watched, tiny tail wagging happily. She really was adorable.

Steve sighed as he leaned back against the sofa cushions, exhausted after the day he’d had, clearly and Tony huffed in amusement and stood up, collecting their makeshift paper towel plates.

“I’ll get that-“ Steve tried to protest but Tony just rolled his eyes and snickered.

“Never mind, Steve. You look exhausted. I can’t imagine the drive was all that fun.”

Steve huffed softly and nodded. Because yeah, it definitely wasn’t. He’d had to get up at 4 in the morning just to meet the moving truck.

“I gotta unpack stuff,” He sighed. “I have a duffel bag of a few essentials, but that’s about it.”

“We’ll get there, Steve, don’t worry,” Tony reassured. “I’m going to start in on your kitchen boxes shortly if you’re feeling up to it. I’d like to get Peter changed though first.”

Steve murmured his agreement and stood, his knees protesting the movement terribly. “One of the rooms already has a bed frame ready to go and the movers put the mattress in with a couple of boxes of sheets and blankets I gave them. Why don’t I go get that started?”

“Sounds good,” Tony agreed and Steve smiled, glancing over at Peter who was still colouring away, even if his eyes looked a little droopy.

It was just after 7 but somehow he was pretty sure the kid would be passed out by 8, _easy._

Steve busied himself in the spare room. He had two of them, what for, he had no clue. He had to laugh at himself as he went to adjust the bed frame. It had been his idea to look for a place. He needed peace and quiet, so damn tired nowadays and he knew this was going to be the place to get it.

Tony had helped with everything, of course he had. They’d known each other for several years now and after he’d lost his wife, Tony had struggled being a single father to Peter. Steve had done whatever he could whenever he could to help and they’d never lost touch. He loved that kid. Loved Tony too.

He sighed and opened up one of the boxes he knew would be filled with sheets, spare blankets and pillows and started to dig for some of the warmer flannels.

He hadn’t wanted a big home for himself, not really. This was a bit bigger than he’d intended, but the price was reasonable and Tony had insisted he buy it and honestly? Steve would have been kicking himself if he hadn’t.

Two guest bedrooms, a master with an ensuite. There was even a guest bathroom between the two rooms with its own shower and bathtub. There was an office off the living room downstairs that he planned to set up for his painting, an enormous kitchen and dining area and the coziest living room he’d ever seen. Complete with a fully functioning fireplace.

He hummed at the idea of getting a fire going. His realtor had given him lots of info about the place and that included the stockpile of firewood out back in the wood shed and the backup generator.

They’d put the cars in the garage out front, not attached to the home, sadly, but he really didn’t mind. The view out back, it’d taken his breath away earlier. The living room had floor to ceiling windows facing the back of the house, the snow covered mountains and its beautiful trees. There was a pond near the house too that he could see. About a hundred yards out. Small but sweet and he’d been told in the spring that he’d see all kinds of wildlife in the area.

He sighed, just picturing it. He couldn’t wait to paint here.

There was also a gorgeous wrap aroundporch that went all the way around the home, something he hadn’t seen on a home in such a long time.

The house wasn’t giant but it was certainly too big for just him. Tony had said he needed the extra space so that they had their own rooms when they came for a visit but Steve knew better than that. He wanted Steve to meet someone, settle down, start a family.

He exhaled shakily and fluffed up a couple of pillows before putting the box aside to bring in to his room later. When he joined the boys back downstairs, Tony had already started to unpack some of the boxes in the kitchen.

“Hey, pal,” Steve called to Peter, the boys head jerking up with a smile to look at him. “How about we take Lily out for a quick pee and then get you into some pyjamas?”

“ _Okay!_ ” He squeaked and both men chuckled quietly at his enthusiasm.

Peter ran to put his coat and boots on, Lily following excitedly at his heels. Steve dressed as well and made sure to clip Lily’s leash on properly before handing it over to Peter with a gentle reminder to keep a tight hold. Tony had assured him that they’d taken her for several walks the last few days and she’d been very good with Peter, so that was reassuring at least.

“I’m going to bring in some firewood, fill up the crate there. Think if I pass it off to you, you’ll be alright?”

“Sure, I’ll grab my gloves and meet you here at the door,” Tony agreed and Steve hummed and nodded. Getting a fire going sounded like such a good idea.

They took a few minutes to walk around out front with Lily making sure she went pee and to see if she needed to do anything else. She seemed happy enough just trotting around so he called for Peter to follow him around the side of the house to the woodshed.

Peter offered to carry a couple pieces of kindling while he grabbed the small wooden sled already loaded with medium sized logs which he thought was rather clever.

They made it back to the house and after a few minutes of back and forth, they had enough wood inside to last them more than just the night. He listened as Tony took Peter up to his room with their bags and shut the door to go put the sled away.

It didn’t take long and though he was huffing and puffing a bit, the exercise was almost a relief out in the cool air and boy was it ever cold. He shivered a bit and shook it off, smiling as he tucked his chin down further into his jacket collar. He flicked off the wood shed light and stood in the dark for a moment.

He’d turned on the porch lights on his way out so it wasn’t entirely dark, but even fifteen feet from the house he could still look up into the night sky and take in the millions of tiny stars. The moon was nothing but a sliver of a thing and he smiled, thinking back to the slices of pie and cake he had inside. He hummed softly and wondered if he should share it with the boys.

“ _Probably_ ,” His conscience chirped and Steve could only laugh, fixing his hat and heading back up the front steps.

.

Steve finished unloading the couple of boxes of plates and mugs and things, a few dry goods too and by the time he’d finished, Peter and Tony were back in the living room, Peter lying on the couch with Lily in his arms.

Steve had to raise an eyebrow at that and when Tony merely grinned and put his hands up, Steve could only huff. He’d allow it, he supposed.

“Want me to get a fire going?” Tony asked and Steve nodded.

“Feel free or I can do it. I’ve got some hot chocolate I can go put together if you like?”

“ _Hot chocolate?_ ” Peter gasped and Steve had to laugh because of course the kid was wide awake _now._

“Go make the hot chocolate, Steve,” Tony chuckled and the blond merely grinned and got to his feet.

“I wanna’ help, I wanna help!” Peter cried and jumped up, Lily hopping down off the sofa clumsily and following him into the kitchen.

“Alright, alright. Calm down, Pete,” He laughed, reaching down to pick him up and settle him on the counter. “You sit here and be still. I’ll get everything out and you can help me stir and put the marshmallows in, deal?”

“Deal!”

Steve looked over at Tony who was grinning and shaking his head as he went to kneel in front of the fireplace. He could only do the same as he went to fill the kettle.

It didn’t take long to get their hot chocolates made, piled high with whipped cream _and_ marshmallows because Peter could be a very convincing little boy.

Tony had just given Steve a sort of flat look as if to say, _really? You know you can say no to him, right?_ Steve never really wanted to though. That kid deserved to be spoiled and he was never rotten, so what was the harm?

“The fire’s so hot!” Peter sighed, hands outstretched towards the warmth.

There was a safety grate and they reminded him that it was dangerous and that he was to keep back a certain amount. So far, he’d listened without any issue and when they caught him talking to Lily about how dangerous it was, they figured he got it.

Eventually Tony had gone to go wash up and change into his sleep clothes and when he came back it was Steve’s turn to go get ready too. He needed his tool kit to put together his bed frame so he just knocked the mattress onto the floor and threw some sheets and his duvet over it. He had no idea what’d happened to his pillows so he merely folded up a couple of spare blankets and decided that’d have to do for the night.

He was already yawning by the time he returned to the pair, only to find Peter dozing against his father’s side, Tony’s arm wrapped loosely around his middle. Lily was sitting in Peter’s lap, fast asleep with both Tony and Peter’s fingers buried in her fur. Steve couldn’t wait to cuddle with her too.

He’d always wanted a dog but being cooped up in a too tiny apartment in the city was no place for a pup. It didn’t help that he’d never really had the time to dedicate to raising a pup.

He exhaled shakily and rubbed at his bare arms a little. Now clad in just a t-shirt and sweatpants, he actually felt a bit of a chill. Finding the thermostat was easy but he was momentarily confused by the panel next to it.

“Hey, Tony?”

“Hmm?” He returned, glancing over his shoulder to where Steve was standing by the front door.

“Can you come here a sec?”

Tony didn’t reply but he did start to pull free of his son, carefully lying him down properly on the sofa and dragging the blanket off the back of the couch to drape over his frame. By the time he got to Steve, the blond looked entirely flummoxed. “What’s wrong-“

“Did you know the house had a security system?”

Tony blinked, because uh _no_ , no he did not. “No, it didn’t go off, did it?”

“I don’t think so,” He huffed. “I don’t think it’s set. I don’t remember Rory mentioning it.”

“Me either- _oh,_ wait-did’t Marla say something about a tech coming out to visit the house?”

Steve scratched idly at his beard and then nodded. “Actually, yeah. Think they were supposed to come out the day after tomorrow. Maybe that’s what the visit is for?”

“Maybe,” He agreed, sighing softly. “Did Rory send you any paperwork to review?”

Steve grimaced and shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe?”

Tony groaned. “Oh my God, _Steve_ , you are seriously just as bad as I am.”

Steve rolled his eyes, because yeah, he wasn’t exactly wrong. “Where is it?”

“It’s in the kitchen, by the fridge,” Steve sighed, closing up the small panel that covered the number pad.

“Uh huh,” Tony sighed and Steve followed him into the kitchen and watched as Tony shifted through a few of the pages. “Ah, here we go,” He turned a page around to show Steve. “These are instructions on how to set it up if you don’t want to wait for the tech. Regardless they’re coming out though. It’s not set up to contact authorities if it goes off, think that’s why they need to visit and you know, explain the damn thing to you.”

Steve hummed and nodded, skimming idly through the paperwork. “Fair enough, I don’t think I want to mess with it right now, probably just wait for the technician.”

Tony sighed and nodded, putting away the other papers. “Probably a good idea. I know I could probably figure it out with you but I think we’ll be fine without it.”

Steve scoffed, because of course they would be. They were in the middle of nowhere up in the damn mountains.

.

“Hey, you want a bite of cake?”

Tony’s eyebrows quirked up. “You have cake?”

“I have cake,” He repeated and Tony nodded happily.

“I’d love some, why don’t I go put him to bed first and we can have cake?”

“Sounds good,” Steve agreed, heading over to them. “Can I help?”

“No, no, I’m good. Actually, m-maybe just grab that blanket- _thanks_ -“Tony chuckled, readjusting his grip on his son as Lily hopped down off the couch and looked up at him with the most forlorn-

“Oh my God, the puppy dog eyes are going to kill me,” Steve blurted and Tony tried so hard not to laugh lest he wake Peter.

“Tell me about it, pretty sure we’re getting a dog when we go home. He was so excited to get her for you though, Steve,” He sighed, Steve bending to pick up the pup.

“That’s really sweet,” He murmured, glancing back at his friend as he followed him to the stairs.

Tony settled his son on the sheets and tugged the blankets over him, making sure he was nestled in tightly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced up to where Steve was standing in the doorway still cradling the pup.

“He told me he didn’t want to see you so lonely anymore,” He whispered quietly and Steve’s heart broke a little.

He forced himself to swallow past the lump rising in his throat and only just managed not to clear his throat as heat started to build behind his eyes.

“Sweet-that’s sweet’a him,” He managed and Tony’s gaze softened.

“This is going to be good for you, Steve, you know that, right?”

“Yeah-yeah of course I do,” He exhaled roughly and nodded. He believed that, he really did. It was just hard to make a change sometimes and this-this was a big one.

Tony looked back down at his son and brushed some of his dark curls from his eyes. He looked up when Steve stepped up beside him only to bend and place Lily beside Peter. “They’ll keep each other company, I’ll leave the door open a bit in case she needs to go out or he wakes up.”

Tony nodded, giving the pup a quick scratch behind her ear as she settled in with her head lying on Peter’s chest, the steady rise and fall apparently soothing enough to let her use him as a pillow.

Steve could only stand the cuteness for so long. He bent to press a kiss to Peter’s curls and then murmured a quiet goodnight.

“I’ll see you downstairs in a minute,” Tony told him, watching the blond head for the door with a quiet nod.

.

When he heard Tony on the stairs a few minutes later, he got up to get the cake from the fridge.

“So, where’d you score this baby? _Oh_ , is that white chocolate?” He asked hopefully and Steve chuckled and nodded, sitting down on the sofa and offering him a fork.

“It’s white chocolate cheese cake,” He sighed, relinquishing his hold on the plate to let Tony have the first bite. “And there’s a cute little cafe in town and everyone was raving about their cakes so I had to get one.”

“ _Everyone?_ What, did you meet the whole town already? Are there like, five people?” Tony teased and Steve rolled his eyes.

“No, but it’s definitely a small town. Everyone knows everybody’s business and the like. They all knew who I was before I’d even introduced myself,” He laughed about it but Tony just looked mortified.

“That’s terrifying, Steve!”

Steve only laughed harder at that. “No it wasn’t, they were all very kind, sweet too and I don’t think they know who I am, not really?” He shrugged and looked over at the fire and Tony’s brows furrowed curiously.

“So, who’d you meet? The town mayor? The sheriff? The town gossip?”

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I didn’t meet any of those people, but, I was _told_ about a few of the town gossips to look out for and actually, I did run into one of them. Young girl, probably no older than 16, she worked at the grocery store, apparently I’m supposed to watch out for her.”

Tony snickered and shook his head before taking a bite of the cheesecake. Steve could only raise a brow in question when the man just… _stopped_ and then-

“ _Oh my God,_ ” He mumbled around his mouthful and Steve huffed.

“I imagine it’s good?” He drawled and Tony practically _moaned_ around his bite. “ _Ugh_ , don’t _moan_ -“

Tony couldn’t help sputtering a laugh as he finished his bite, passing back the plate. “ _Sorry,_ it’s just really good cake.”

Steve rolled his eyes with a smile and speared a bit of the cake on his fork. “I’m sure it is, it came highly recommended.”

Tony chuckled and reclined back against the sofa, dragging a blanket over his lap as he made himself comfortable. “Highly recommended by who?”

Steve shrugged and took a bite and instantly found himself smothering a moan, eyelashes fluttering because _oh-_

“S’good, right?” Tony laughed and Steve could only nod, passing the plate back to his friend when he made grabby hands for it.

“Wow, uh _yeah_. Apparently it’s the town’s favourite,” He explained, licking his lips and hoping he wasn’t drooling. _Damn that was sweet_.

“Go figure, so, tell me who else you met.”

“Uh, okay. So I met that girl at the store, Susan and then there was a sweet kid, Kyle who worked there too. I met uh, James at the bookstore and then Margaret who runs the cafe and her husband Bill, the town’s handyman.”

Tony shook his head, smiling as he took another bite of the cake. “Sounds like you had a busy day.”

“You know I did,” Steve laughed, taking the proffered plate to spear himself another bite. There wasn’t exactly many left. “Ugh, if the lemon meringue pie is as good as this, we’re gonna’ have a problem.”

“There’s lemon meringue pie?” Tony blurted and damn it, his puppy dog eyes were cute. It was a good thing Steve was immune to them.

“That doesn’t work on me, pal and yeah, only one slice though. James said-“ He paused and cleared his throat. “He said it was to die for so I had to get a piece.”

Tony’s brows raised a bit when he noted the light flush crawling its way up his friend’s throat. “That so?”

“ _Mhm_ ,” Steve murmured around another bite, handing over the plate to him so he wouldn’t have to say anything else for a moment.

Tony took the plate but watched his friend with careful eyes. “Huh, so, what books did you buy?”

Steve shrugged lightly and glanced over at the fire. Seeing that it was getting a bit low, he got up to feed it another log. “A couple of mystery novels, you know me.”

“I do know you,” Tony agreed and Steve huffed under his breath. “And I can tell when you’re stepping around something.”

“I’m not sure what you mean-“

“Oh my God, _Steve_ , you are a terrible liar. I thought we’ve been over this-“

Steve grumbled under his breath and shrugged, sitting back on his haunches to lean against the front of the sofa. “I still don’t know what-“

“Tell me about this James, is he sweet, cute? Maybe he’s real handsome~”

Steve scowled and looked away. “Why do you always have to tease me?” He muttered, running a hand through his blond hair and giving it a light tug.

“Because I care about you, that’s why. It’s not like you don’t give as good as you get, pal,” He teased and Steve rolled his eyes at his friend. “Come on, Steve, just talk to me. Now that you’ve clammed up about it, I’m just gonna pester you even more. So you might as well tell me now before I get Peter involved-“

Steve groaned- _loudly_ -because he’d been through that once before and it did not go well. “ _Fine_ , I-James was very helpful and yes, he was sweet and uh-“ He cleared his throat. “He was pretty cute.”

“ _Steve!_ ” Tony crowed. “You’ve not been in town a day yet and you’re already scoping out the locals!? I’m scandalized.”

Steve dragged a hand down his face, breathing harshly through his nose. “I was not,” He denied through gritted teeth, startling when Tony’s hand landed lightly on his shoulder to give him a squeeze.

“Steve, you know I’m just teasing, c’mon, it’s me,” He tried, shrugging lightly and Steve sighed, the tension bleeding from his shoulders.

“Yeah, I-I know,” He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “And you’re right, he was cute but I definitely wasn’t, _scoping out the locals._ ”

Tony laughed softly and nodded, laying back against the sofa and drawing the blanket up around him. Steve almost pouted. He wanted a blanket.

“Fair enough, so, he was cute? Is he single?”

“I don’t know,” Steve laughed. “I didn’t _ask him_. I just popped into his shop, he helped me pick out a couple’a books and we chatted for a minute about the cafe. He recommended the pie and cheesecake, that’s it.”

Tony scowled. “ _Seriously?_ That’s it? You didn’t get his number, didn’t ask if he’s married, did you at least look to see if he had a ring?”

Steve groaned and dropped his face in his hands. “I don’t even know if he’s into guys, Tony, can’t we just drop it? We only spoke for like, five-minutes. I don’t know anything about the guy other than he moved here 8 months ago and owns the bookshop.”

Tony sighed deeply and clicked his tongue. “Disappointed in you, Stevie.”

Steve scrunched up his nose in distaste. “Don’t call me that.”

Tony stuck out his tongue and Steve shook his head in disbelief. “You’re such a child-“

“What do you expect?! I spend every waking moment with one!” Tony blurted, throwing his hands up in the air.

Steve just stared at his friend for a long moment and then burst out laughing. It took them a few minutes to calm themselves down, both bursting into giggles over the absurdity of just, well, _everything_.

“Oh, Steve,” Tony sighed, still chuckling lightly. “I’m gonna’ miss you, buddy.”

Steve’s gaze softened. “You know I’d be happy to have you visit as often as you like. I’d love to have you and Peter up for the weekend. _Hell_ , come up for a week or _two_ for that matter.”

Tony huffed and looked down at his hands folded atop the blanket. “We’ll visit, Steve, don’t worry. Peter loves you, pretty sure he thinks you’re his step dad.”

Steve laughed softly and shook his head. “ _Nah_ , he knows I’m the much more fun _uncle Steve._ ”

Tony rolled his eyes but nodded all the same. “Kid worries about you, Steve. _I_ worry about you.”

“I know,” He breathed, glancing up at his friend from his spot on the floor.“Let me worry about me for a bit, yeah? I don’t think I’m doing all that bad for myself.”

“You’re not,” Tony assured on a deep sigh. “Doesn’t stop us from worrying about you, though.”

Steve hummed in acuquiecense. Because what else could he do?

“ _Oh-_ “ Steve said, apparently just reminded of something. He stood and took the now empty cake plate from the coffee table. “And I did happen to look for a wedding ring.”  
“ _And?_ ” Tony prompted, craning his neck back over the sofa to watch his friend walk to the kitchen.

“No ring,” He said smugly and Tony fist-pumped the air.

“Stevie’s gonna’ get la-“

“ _Stop it!_ ” He interrupted on a laugh and Tony laughed too.

“ _Hey_ , you got any scotch?”

Steve rolled his eyes and went to the cupboard. “Course I do, packed the stuff you gave me, as a matter of fact,” Steve admitted, pulling down the Sherry Cask _Glenmorangie_.

“ _Ooh-_ “ Excellent. “Ice?”

“Not sure, gimme a sec,” He huffed, setting the bottle down and heading back to the fridge.

It was one of those double door ones, rather fancy actually. “Uh, maybe? This looks like a water dispenser but it might be for ice too?” He squinted at the led buttons and saw a small stack of what appeared to be cubes. “Definitely an ice machine too.”

“ _Awesome_ -“ Tony breathed, throwing the blanket aside and getting up to join him in the kitchen.

“Grab us some glasses, would you?”

Tony hummed and pulled open the cupboard, bringing down a couple of tumblers. He poured themselves a couple of fingers each and grabbed a cube each before heading back into the living room, Steve pausing and looking around for a moment.

“What’s up?  
“Uh, nothing. Was just feeling a bit chilly, I might try and find a sweatshirt or something,” He admitted, scratching lightly at the back of his neck.

“Just grab the sleeping bags we brought. Left ‘em by the door.”

Steve hummed and went to the rolls, grabbing them both and settling down in the living room.

“How can you still be chilly? It’s toasty in here,” Tony laughed, snuggling up under his blanket again as Steve unrolled one of the sleeping bags. Peter’s, as luck would have it.

Tony tried hard not to smirk at the sight of Steve unrolling a _Captain America_ sleeping bag. The flat look Steve gave him sort of ruined his chances.

Steve huffed at Tony’s snicker and settled back down on the floor, dragging over Lily’s pink cushion to sit on. “I dunno, not used to the cold up here, I guess.”

Tony hummed and tipped his head back and forth a bit. “Fair enough, it is pretty chilly out here.”

“Something else to get used to, I suppose,” Steve offered. “I’ll take it over smog any day,” He laughed. “Just breathing out here feels infinitely better, even if the air’s a bit thinner.”

“Agreed, though, I don’t think I’d want to be out for long.”

“Eh, it’s not that bad. It’d be good to get used to the altitude, go for a run, get some fresh air.”

“ _Ew_ , I forgot how much you like to run.”

“Rain, snow or shine,” Steve said cheerfully and Tony grimaced.

“I’ll stay inside and do my hot yoga, thanks.”

Steve snickered. “You only like the hot yoga ‘cause of all the sweaty people.”

Tony shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “That might be why I _started_ to go.”

“Uh huh,” Steve snickered and Tony smiled behind his glass.

“Anyway, it’s still fun,” He shrugged.

“And so is running-“ A dull thud had him pausing _._

He glanced up at Tony. “Did you hear that?”

He grimaced. “Might just be the wind, it’s started to snow already. Noticed it when I went up to change.”

Steve hummed and settled back against the sofa, glancing over at the still roaring fire. “Hmm, maybe. _Probably_ ,” He agreed and took another sip of his drink.

“So, tell me what’s new in your life. You said you’re probably getting a dog when you go back. Any ideas?”

Tony laughed lightly and nodded. “Put my name on another waitlist at a shelter uptown. They tend to bring in a lot of golden retrievers and I know they’re supposed to be great with kids.”

“Think you’ll get a puppy?”

“Probably not? I mean, I know Pete would love a puppy but there are so many dogs in the shelter system that need homes too. I think we’re going to help one of ‘em out, see how that goes. Maybe get a puppy in a few years, instead.”

Steve smiled up at his friend. “Still as sweet as ever, Tony.”

Tony laughed softly and shrugged. “Everyone deserves a home, Stevie. You know that.”

Steve rolled his eyes, lips parting to scold him for the nickname when there was another thud. He frowned, looking to Tony curiously, the brunet looking just as confused.

“Okay, I did hear it that time.”

“I don’t think it’s the wind,” Steve mumbled, setting his drink down and getting to his feet.

Tony nodded, setting his own drink down and getting to his feet. They stood there in quiet for a long moment, only the humming of the fridge and the crackling of the fire filling the space. They didn’t hear much of anything, even the wind wasn’t so terrible that it whistled or creaked against the house. Not yet, anyway.

“Maybe it’s just a branch, you know, from one of the trees-“

The thud came again and Steve grimaced when a slightly louder one followed. “It sounds like someones knocking but it’s not at the door, is it?”

Tony frowned and went to the door and peeked through the peephole. “I don’t see anyone,” He admitted, squinting out onto the porch, thankful they’d at least left the light on.

The dull knocking came again, but it sounded more like a boot against wood rather than a knock this time.

“It’s coming from the back, I think,” Steve murmured, stepping carefully to the back doors.

It looked pitch black outside and the drapes had been pulled to their respective sides. All they could really see from inside was their reflection. “Get the light?” Tony suggested and Steve hummed, brows furrowed as he walked over to the few switches by the doors.

“It might just be an animal,” Tony huffed and Steve nodded, flicking on one of the switches.

It lit up the back porch easily enough and Steve frowned as he stepped up closer to the glass. He couldn’t see anything out of place and Tony was right, it had started snowing and it was really coming down now. Huge flakes that were dizzying if you looked at them too long.

Tony squinted and joined him at the doors. “See anything?”

“Nope, you?”

Tony huffed and shook his head, nose just about pressed to the glass as he squinted out into the darkness. “I got nothing,” He sighed and Steve frowned, listening for the sound again.

“Don’t hear it anymore no-“ A much louder thud followed and Steve caught movement out of the corner of his eye. “What the-“

Steve fumbled with the lock and wrenched the door open and Tony made a worried sort of sound as Steve ran out onto the porch. “ _Steve!_ ” He shouted. “Where the fu-“

“There’s a person out here! Help me!”

Tony’s eyes widened as he slipped out the door, stumbling down the snow covered steps to see Steve scrambling to help lift someone from the ground. They didn’t look particularly well off.

“ _Shit-_ “ Tony swore, immediately doing what he could to help carry the stranger back inside.

“Fuck, _Steve_ , his lips are blue, you’ve gotta-“

Tony wasn’t wrong but Steve was too busy reeling. The stranger had nothing but a black t-shirt, jeans and a pair of boots. They weren’t even done up properly, for Christ’s sake. He exhaled shakily as he brought him into the living room and he knew Tony was flitting around him nervously, unsure of what to do but he couldn’t delegate yet, he needed to see what the major issues were.

The man in his arms was nothing but dead weight. He’d been knocking his boot against the bottom step of the porch as best he could it would seem but he’d passed out by the time Steve had gotten to him. He was soaked through with sweat and so fucking cold. He wasn’t even shaking with it anymore and _fuck_ that was worrying.

He laid him down on the sofa and stepped back a bit, scanning his body for obvious signs of injury. He’d seen blood on the snow and looking closer now, he could see blood on the man’s shirt. He quickly tore at the bottom of his shirt and swore harshly when he caught sight of the wound.

“ _Steve_ -“ Tony whispered. “It-it looks like he’s been stabbed.”

“Lock the doors, Tony. Pull the drapes and shut out any lights. Go check on Peter and grab your phone. Call it in, everything’s going to be fine so I need you to breathe and keep calm,” Steve told him evenly and he knew his voice was clipped but it was concise and he needed his friend to focus.

“Okay, _okay_ ,” He whispered and Steve was immediately left alone with the stranger.

He could see obvious signs of bruising littering the man’s side, all over his chest too. His wrists looked terribly bruised, red and raw even bloody in some spots. He’d been restrained, there was no other way he could have sustained those injuries. He swallowed thickly and looked up at the man’s face only to frown when he couldn’t see it. His longer hair was soaked with sweat and snow and clung to his face, obscuring it from view.

He heard Tony on the stairs and glanced over his shoulder. “I can’t get through, Steve. The signal keeps dropping and when it does connect, there-there’s no answer, it just keeps ringing and then give m-me a busy signal. I can’t-“

“Okay, Tony. Okay, deep breath, I need you to help me get him warm then. We’ll try the phone again in a minute,” He tried and Tony nodded, pocketing his phone and hastily joining him beside the stranger.

“We can’t let him warm up too quickly, not good for his heart and body heat works be-“ His breath caught in his lungs, shock written in every line of his face.

“Steve, _Steve?_ What’s wrong?”

“ _James?_ ” He whispered, voice faint.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony’s eyes widened, just as shocked, because _seriously?_ “ _Fuck-_ “ He cursed, realizing that Steve was too stunned to do anything all of a sudden. “ _Steve_ , buddy, I need you to h-help me here. T-take your shirt off, you know I-I’m not good at this s-sort of thing, don’t blank on me now, _please_ ,” He begged and Steve blinked, entirely blindsided.

He nodded, seeming to come back to himself. “O-okay, Tony. Okay, ‘m sorry. H-here, you get your shirt off, I need to deal with the wound, it’s still bleeding.”

Tony didn’t hesitate. He tore off his sweater and helped to lift the man up so he could slip in behind him. He immediately started rubbing at the man’s skin in soothing circles while Steve placed the blanket over them both, trapping them in the heat. He kept the man’s side visible with the wound, grateful at least it was only bleeding sluggishly.

He tugged off his boots and socks and then hastily worked at James’ belt and jeans. They were soaked right through and his skin was cold and clammy with sweat. His lips were still worryingly blue and Tony frowned and held the man as close as he possibly could, rubbing at his skin and encouraging blood flow.

Steve murmured quiet instructions to his friend to keep shifting to different areas to warm while he took James’ hands in his and brought them under his shirt, sucking in a breath at the ice cold skin in his grasp. He did his best to assess the wound when Tony took his hands to warm them himself, Steve growing concerned about the state of his feet.

He had no idea how long James had been outside and frost bite could be a serious concern in these temperatures. He frowned, concentrating on warming the man’s legs and feet, checking his toes and gently massaging warmth back into them.

“You called him James,” Tony murmured after a few minutes and Steve swallowed thickly and nodded. “Shit _-_ “ He breathed, tucking James’ hands back beneath the blanket to move some of his hair further off his face.

Steve glanced up the length of the man’s body, taking in the incomprehensible amount of bruises over his torso. He wouldn’t be surprised if he had at least one broken rib and the chances of sprained wrists were high. He shook his head and wrapped the sleeping bag around his lower half.

“I need to get my kit, I’ll grab my phone and try calling too, okay?”

Tony nodded, gaze flickering up from James’ face to look at his friend. “Don’t be long, I don’t-“

“I’ll be right back, deep breaths. I know where my kit is,” He consoled and Tony nodded, unintentionally squeezing James closer to him.

Steve darted away, unable to look at either of them any longer. This was a hell of a day.

He disappeared up into his bathroom, having dumped his toiletry box there earlier and ripped into the cardboard hastily, duct tape coming away with a satisfying noise. He dug around for a moment and hauled out the red and white _Rubbermaid_ container.

He was barely gone two-minutes and when he stopped in the kitchen to grab some paper towel and his phone, Tony called quietly over the sofa. “I think he’s waking up, Steve.”

“I’m coming,” He assured and hastily filled a bowl with warm water before joining his friend in the living room.

James was groaning softly under his breath, brows pinched and face tight and Tony did his best to murmur quietly to him, telling him that he was safe, where he was, what they were doing. Neither were sure if he could hear him properly but Tony had to try for his own peace of mind.

“That’s good, Tony,” He breathed, getting his med kit open and his hands cleaned. “Just keep talking to him, I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

So that’s what he did. He talked to James quietly and held him, relieved that colour was slowly but surely returning to his softened features. He was young, he realized. He was younger than Steve and certainly younger than himself, what with pushing forty and all. He huffed softly and glanced down to watch as Steve pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves and started to clean the wound.

It was nasty business cleaning a wound like that and Tony found himself grimacing and looking away, unable to stomach it. “Your Ma would be proud you’re putting your patchwork skills to use.”

Steve barked out a strained laugh and shook his head. “Haven’t started sewing him up yet.”

“ _Really?_ I was hoping you’d be done sooner rather than later.”

Steve huffed and shook his head. “I have to flush out the wound first, then I can sew it up and I know he’ll probably react when I flush it.”

Tony winced and nodded. “Gonna’ need me to hold him?”

“I’ll tell you when,” He promised and Tony exhaled shakily and nodded.

“Still, she would be happy to know that you paid attention.”

Steve couldn’t help his faint smile at that. He ducked his head so Tony wouldn’t see it but got the feeling he knew anyway. He nodded to his friend, picking up the small bottle used for flushing. “Okay, hang on to him. Try not to let him struggle too much and keep his hands down.”

“Got it,” Tony reassured, gripping James tighter around the chest, his hands caught up over the blanket.

Steve nodded and counted down quietly from three. James cried out the instant the water flowed into his wound and Steve grimaced and did his best to be quick about it. James had arched up from Tony’s grasp and he’d done what he could to keep him still. It didn’t seem like James was even fully aware of what he was doing, his body merely reacting to the pain. Just as quickly as he’d jolted in their grasp did he slump back into Tony’s embrace.

“You’re all right,” Tony breathed, gently lowering his hands back beneath the blanket to keep them warm.

Steve breathed a little easier when James relaxed and he knew that he had passed out again, overwhelmed by the pain, surely. “Is he gonna’ be alright?” Tony murmured, voice quiet.

Steve hummed and nodded, prepping the threading needle to stitch. “I think so. Doesn’t appear to have hit any major arteries, we’d know if it had,” He murmured. “Not too deep, either, which is promising. Probably only needs a dozen or so sutures.”

Tony exhaled shakily and nodded, gaze still turned away. He switched his attention to James’ face, taking in the roundness of his cheeks, the softness at his jaw. “He’s just a kid,” He whispered and Steve swallowed and nodded.

“Probably not much past twenty-five,” He agreed and Tony brushed some of his damp hair aside, tucking it behind one rounded ear.

His face was terribly battered, though his nose was thankfully not broken. He had an awful black eye, skin broken beneath it, at his temple and cheek. The cut across his cheek looked as if it might have been caused by a ring of sorts. There were dried tear tracks and spots of blood all over his face, along with dirt and sweat.

He had no idea how long this man could have been outside for but he was sure the wounds were almost all man made. He swallowed thickly, drawing his hands out from beneath the blanket and he was at least somewhat relieved to see they were considerably warmer than they had been. They were, however, covered in scratches most likely caused by his trek through the wilderness.

“You said that you saw him in town today…”

“I did, just before I came back and found you two at my doorstep,” He agreed.

“Do you think-did he come all the way from town? I mean, it’s a half hour drive, isn’t it?”

Steve paused, gaze flickering up to meet his friend’s. “There’s no way he could have walked all that way, not like this, not in this storm either. Would have taken him _hours_.”

Tony shook his head. “What about the hotel?”

Steve tied off the last suture and sat back, picking up the scissors to cut the end. He paused for a moment and then shook his head. “It’s gotta be more than 2 and a half miles. You think he could walk all the way through roughage from there? _Christ_ , it’s uphill-“

“I don’t know, Steve, I really don’t. He looks bad off though and-“ Tony faltered, his gaze catching on something by James’ lip.

Steve finished clipping off the suture and set his things down on the table beside him, exhaling shakily as he glanced up at his friend when he didn’t immediately continue. “Tony?” He asked worriedly, seeing the look of concern on his face.

Tony frowned as he looked a little closer at the man’s face, the split lip, the caked blood there along with something else. He couldn’t help it when his gaze dropped lower along his throat, the vivid bruising there he was sure were fingerprints from his attacker. He shook his head and pushed the blanket from James’ shoulder.

He didn’t so much as shudder from the cooler air on his skin, now skin warmed and as comfortable as they could make him. Tony shifted and tried to look down James’ torso and instantly his gaze snagged on dotted bruises along his sides, low on his hips.

“Steve,” He said shakily, shifting and attempting to get himself out from beneath the man.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He pressed, helping his friend despite the confusion.

He took James’ weight, cradling him against his front, his head tucked in against his neck and shoulder. But Tony still hadn’t answered him and was gently urging him to lean James forward as much as his wound would allow. “He’s-“ Tony let out a terribly wounded noise and Steve swore he was going to start gagging with the sheer level of disgust and mortification written on his face.

“ _Steve-_ “ He breathed but it was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

“I don’t- _Tony_ tell me what-“

“He’s been raped.”

Steve’s entire being just shuttered, his face draining entirely of colour and Tony had to reach out to steady James in his arms. But he’d seen the bruises on his hips, he’d seen the fluids, dried and caked now against his back, the bloody scratches and the dark stain against his already dark briefs.

“Y-you can’t-you don’t know that-“

“ _Steve_ -“ Tony said, tone plaintive, already shaking his head. “I can see his back, his-I don’t know how badly he’s hurt but there’s blood on his briefs.”

Steve exhaled shakily, his hands trembling as he returned his gaze to James’ face, pinched even in sleep. He shook his head, not wanting to believe that someone could have done something like this to another human being, let alone one who looked as innocent as this man.

“I need-I have to go get something to clean up the scratches. He’s-he has a lot of cuts and scrapes,” Steve managed, gaze flickering over James’ split lip, the crusted over fluid he could see at its edge amongst all the blood.

“ _God_ , Tony, I don’t-“ He fumbled for his phone and tried to dial out, near frantic with the need to get James to a medical professional as soon as possible. He looked up when he managed to get through to a ring to _911_ but it immediately dropped.

He tried again and absently noted that Tony had pulled out his own phone and had started trying to get through. But the calls either wouldn’t connect, kept dropping, or the line just rang until they got a busy tone and the call eventually dropped.

After more than a dozen attempts, even to his real estate agent, Rory, he realized that they were all just refusing to go through because of the storm.

“It must be the storm, even my texts aren’t sending. It doesn’t help we’re surrounded by mountains,” Tony exhaled shakily and shook his head, watching as his friend worried at his lower lip, staring down at his phone just _willing_ it to work, just for a minute.

“T-take a deep breath, Stevie, c’mon, you got this. Your ma didn’t raise a quitter, right?” Steve nodded and he nodded right along. “Go get two bowls of water. I put a few cloths and kitchen towels away in the bottom drawer beside the fridge, grab a few and I’ll-I’ll help you get him cleaned up until we can get him into a bath.”

Steve got up numbly, dropping his phone onto the table with a _clunk_ that in the quiet of the house felt deafening to his ears. He murmured a soft apology and immediately went to the kitchen to get what he needed. Tony was right. His ma didn’t raise a quitter. She raised him right, taught him to help people, respect them, be kind and courteous. He’d been told all his life just how polite he was, how strait-laced and level headed he’d always been.

But coming back to see that Tony had moved off the sofa and had carefully laid James down on it, his battered and bruised frame so pale in the warm fire light. He’d never wanted to prove everyone so damn wrong before. I wanted to _murder_ whoever the fuck did this to such a sweet person. They didn’t deserve to walk the earth after what they’d done.

“I’m gonna’ kill him-“

Tony startled, adjusting the blanket over James’ shoulders. “What?”

“Whoever did this to him, I’m gonna’ kill ‘em,” He breathed, setting down the bowls and towels between them as he knelt down beside James.

Tony looked at his friend for a long moment as he dipped one of the towels in the warm water and wrung it out half-heartedly before carefully wiping at some of the blood, dirt and other unmentionables away from James’ mouth, his nose and eyes. He watched him gently clean the man’s face in quiet, revealing more of that youthfulness with every wipe.

“I’d help,” Tony croaked after a long moment, Steve’s gaze flickering to his friend and then back to his task, already moved on to cleaning away the dirt as his temple, carefully checking for any bumps or cuts on his skull as he carded shaking fingers through his hair. “You be the muscle, I’ll hide the body.”

Steve buried the lower half of his face in his shoulder with a puff that sounded like a very strained laugh. Tony couldn’t help smiling, even if it was a broken attempt of a thing. “I would and I already got ideas. I’ve watched a lot of crime shows in my day, read a lot too and-“

“I already know how I’d get rid of the bodies, Tony.”

Tony stilled, more than a little creeped out, because this was _Steve_. He huffed softly, waiting for his friend to go on and when the blond realized he was being waited on, he rolled his eyes. “Tell the truth, idiot. Well, a variation of it.”

Tony huffed. “We’ve talked about this, Steve. You’re a shit liar-“

James’ sudden groan tore them away from one another and Steve quickly snatched his hand back from where he’d been dabbing away the blood at his temple.

“James?” Steve asked gently. “It-it’s Steve, Mr. Rogers?” He tried, watching nervously as James seemed to come round enough to tense up. “You’re safe, you were outside my house, we brought you in. You were pretty badly hurt-“

James whimpered so soft and they both watched as he curled his arms around his middle and tried to curl in on himself. His lashes fluttered as he clearly tried to take in what Steve was saying and it took him a couple of tries but soon those startlingly grey-blue eyes were settled on him, only to flick away towards Tony almost instantly.

“T-this is my friend, Tony, he’s safe, you’re safe, I swear, James. Can you tell me if anything hurts? I stitched up the wound on your side, so please be careful. Try not to move too much,” He coaxed, voice as gentle as ever.

“M safe?”

“ _Yeah_ -“ Steve exhaled heavily. “We locked the doors, turned down the lights. We-we have no idea who did this to you, James, we’re not sure w-who might be after you.”

James moaned and it was a pitiful sound. “I can’t stay-“ He gasped, tears blurring his vision. “I have to go-I-“

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere,” Tony told him plainly. “We’ve been trying to call the cops but we can’t get any calls to go through.”

“S’ the storm,” He bemoaned, reaching up to rub at his face.

Steve caught his hand, however, and didn’t miss the flinch he gave. “Sorry, don’t, don’t touch too much. You’ve got some bad cuts, I’ve cleaned some of the ones on your face, but-“

“How’s your eye?” Tony distracted when Steve’s words seemed to falter.

“S’ fine,” James muttered and it clearly wasn’t.

It was very swollen and looked rather painful but they were pretty sure that he could still see out of it.

“I have to go, you don’t-I can’t stay here,” He pressed and Steve had no choice but to back off when James sat up, the blanket falling to his waist. He seemed to pause, however, when he realized he was in nothing but his briefs and the look of panic that crossed his features was enough to want to make Steve be sick.

“You were soaked when you got here, covered in snow and sweat. We had to get you warm, we were worried about hypothermia and frostbite, we had no idea how long you’d been outside, James. I’m s-sorry for-for undressing you but we didn’t have a choice,” Steve quickly got out, Tony blinking and watching the pair worriedly.

“I’m sure Steve can get you more clothes but we were hoping to get you a bit more cleaned up,” Tony murmured, trying to convey his sincerity. “We can’t let you leave though, James. It’s not safe.”

He shook his head and _fuck_ there were tears spilling over now and Steve’s heart broke for this man.

“He’ll find me if I don’t l-leave. I h-have to,” He stressed. “If you’re w-with me you’re just as in danger.”

Tony’s quiet, _what?_ Was lost over Steve’s promise. “He won’t touch you, James,” He swore with so much conviction it gave _both_ men chills. “You are safe here, we’re all safe here.”

“Y-you don’t understand,” James tried but his voice was weak and he was clearly exhausted. “He’s-he’s not someone to mess with and he’s not alone-“

“How many?” Steve pressed, worried that James was going to pass out on him.

“T-three, they’re-they took me to the motel,” He managed, eyelids heavy.

“Are they armed?” Steve probed, voice nothing short of demanding.

James started to shake his head but seemed to think better of it. “N-no guns, just a couple’a knives that I saw. But-but I’ve seen Alex with a gun before, he prob-probably has it.”

“All right, James, hang on, we’ll get you some water and something for the pain, then you can rest. We’ll look after you,” Steve promised, getting to his feet.

James’ hand shot out and grabbed the only part of Steve he could reach. Which happened to be his shirt. “Taser, t-they had a taser too.”

Steve nodded and gently clasped his hand over James’ before settling it down over the blanket. “Thank you, just relax, let Tony clean you up a bit, okay?”

James nodded weakly and barely managed to focus on either of them as he settled back against the sofa.

“ _Steve_ , this is-we have no idea-“

“Calm down, Tony. We’re gonna’ be just fine. I need you to get him some water, give him some _Tylenol_ from my kit, two of the red pills, that’s it. I’ll give him an antibiotic shortly myself. Just sit with him, try not to let him sleep, not deeply. I’m gonna’ go check on Peter again because I know that’s exactly what you wanna’ do right now-“

“ _Please-_ “

“I promise I’ll go up right now and check on him, then I gotta go to the basement.”

“W-why? _Steve,_ please don’t leave me alone, I’m- _Christ Steve_ -don’t make me say it.”

Steve calmly tugged his friend away from where James was watching them through bleary eyes. “I know you’re scared, Tony. I do, but I need your help because he can’t help us right now. I’ve got-I have-“ He exhaled harshly through his nose and averted his gaze, clearly reluctant to say whatever it is he needed to.

Tony cupped his hand over where Steve’s paw of a hand curled over his forearm to give him a reassuring squeeze. It helped, it did, because Steve immediately softened, gaze steadily meeting his when he replied.

“I have something to protect us. We’ll be all right, just-please don’t ask me about it,” He practically begged and Tony’s heart ached at the pleading tone.

“Okay, Steve,” He agreed quietly and the blond nodded, clearly relieved.

“I’ll only be a minute,” He promised, gaze flickering over his friend’s face before glancing over his shoulder to where James was looking off towards the fire, tugging the blanket more securely around his shoulders.

“I’m timing you,” Tony told him, voice shaky and Steve nodded before turning and rushing for the stairs.

He checked on Peter, still sound asleep in the spare room. He double checked the windows, relieved to find that they didn’t open in this room. He blew out a slow breath and went to adjust the blankets for him, Lily’s head popping up to look at him sleepily. He spared a moment to give her a scratch behind the ears before he turned and left the room, closing the door fully behind him.

Tony met his gaze at the bottom of the stairs and with a quick nod to reassure him, he ducked down the hallway to the stairway that led to the basement.

He’d been down here earlier with the movers and he easily found the lights and the boxes they’d shoved under the stairs. Steve had taken a few minutes to make sure his safe was hidden away and now he was grateful he’d thought to do so.

He punched in his 9 digit code with a heavy swallow, now, looking at its contents as he pulled open the door, he couldn’t help but be a touch grateful for his life experience. Even if nothing had ever worked out particularly right for him.

He checked the two handguns and quickly loaded them, double and then triple checking the safety was on before shoving one down the back of his pants. He really should have grabbed a pair of jeans, sweatpants weren’t exactly ideal.

He swallowed hard and pulled a knife from its sheath, eying the blade critically before re-sheathing it. He dropped down on one knee and shoved up his left pant leg, deftly slipping the knife’s band around his foot and drawing it up his calf. He checked it snugness and fixed his pant leg, glancing down to make sure it was well hidden.

When he was happy enough, he grabbed the second gun and double checked the safety and scope before turning it over in his palm, letting the weight settle there like a second skin. He glanced up at stairs and breathed out roughly. There was nothing for it. He tucked the gun into his waistband and adjusted his shirt.

“Steve?” Tony called softly and he jerked himself out of it and quickly rushed up the stairs.

“I’m here, sorry,” He apologized, shutting the light off and closing over the door.

Tony was standing nervously at the end of the hallway. “I think you need to come and listen to this.”

Steve frowned but followed his friend back into the living room. He’d clearly been trying to get a call out, his phone sitting lit up on the coffee table, but he also had Steve’s phone open to the radio app.

“Is that the local station?”

“Yeah, it’s the only one I’ve been able to pick up,” He admitted and Steve nodded, crouching down to take a look at the screen.

“It doesn’t sound promising,” Tony murmured and Steve nodded, listening to the announcer talk about the weather.

“They’re saying it could last up to three days from now, Steve. I think we’re stuck here.”

Steve nodded, brows furrowed as he thought that through. “We’re fully stocked, don’t worry. Lots of food, running water. There’s the backup generator and gas out in the shed too.”

Tony’s entire demeanour softened and Steve’s smile was fond when he reached out to clasp his friend’s shoulder, Tony’s hand coming up to squeeze hard at his bared forearm. “C’mon, Tony, you know me.”

“ _Boy Scout_ , I know,” He sighed and Steve huffed quietly and rolled his eyes.

“I’m always prepared, we’ll be all right,” He reassured and Tony nodded, pulling away.

He picked up the two now very muddy looking bowls of water and went to the kitchen, Steve’s eyes following his friend. His gaze fell back to where James was watching him through half lidded eyes not a moment later.

“Hey, you’re still awake, that’s good,” He greeted quietly, sitting himself down on the edge of the coffee table.

“Barely,” James murmured. “I’m not allowed to sleep though?”

“No, sorry, pal. I need you to stay awake for a bit. Talk to you about some things. I’ll let you sleep soon, just need to make sure you’re all right.”

“I’m fine,” He lied, averting his gaze and Steve tried to reign in his sigh.

“I don’t think I believe you?” Steve offered with a quiet huff.

James frowned and refused to meet his gaze, which was…well it wasn’t good. “Listen, I’m gonna’ help you the best I can, but I need you to work with me here.”

James’ gaze wavered slightly and he dropped it to the floor instead. “Thank you for helping me. Tony told me you stitched me up, slapped a bandage on me too.”

Steve hummed softly. “No worries, couldn’t very well leave you out there. _Christ_ , how did you manage to get all the way up here? The hotel’s gotta’ be at least 2 miles away.”

James exhaled shakily and nodded. “Just over 2 and a half, yeah.”

Steve shook his head, resting his elbows on his thighs. “You didn’t answer my question.”

James huffed and glanced up at him through his lashes and Steve was momentarily struck by the starkness of his gaze. “I ran, I ran and I crawled and I climbed, because my life depended on it. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Steve swallowed thickly and shook his head. “No, but I’m grateful you’re being honest with me.”

James glanced away again and Steve frowned. “You said three men were looking for you? Who are they?”

He shrugged and instantly regretted the movement, grimacing when his shoulder pulled uncomfortably. Steve paused and called out to Tony in the kitchen. “Grab me a couple bags of frozen peas, would you?”

Tony hummed and did just that, even went so far as to wrap them up in a couple of tea towels. When he brought them over and handed them off to Steve, the blond glanced at James’ shoulder pointedly.

“Give it here,” James grumbled and Steve gently placed it over the man’s shoulder.

“Want the other for your eye? It’s pretty swollen.”

He nodded and took the makeshift ice pack, tentatively pressing it to his face. The instant the coolness registered he pretty well melted into the cushions. “Better?”

“Better,” He agreed quietly, the hint of petulance very much gone.

“Good,” Steve exhaled, glancing over to where Tony had taken up residence on the floor, a fresh bowl of water and a new cloth at the ready. “So, who are they?”

James let out a shaky sigh. “My ex and his cronies,” He confessed, unable to meet their gazes. “I moved here to get away from him. I moved _states_ to get away from him and he-he still managed to find me. I-I’m not safe here, Steve. I should go, I need to go-“

“James,” Steve said patiently. “We can’t let you go out there again. There’s no way we can drive you anywhere in this weather and you wouldn’t make it ten feet out that door, not in the state you’re in.”

James averted his gaze, focusing on a spot on the _Captain America_ sleeping bag. “I still meant what I said all the same. You’re not safe so long as you’re with me.”

His gaze flickered to Tony and then back to the blond. “You have family to protect, Steve. Believe me when I say these are dangerous men, they’re not to be taken lightly.”

Steve swallowed and nodded. “I understand and I know you don’t know me, but I need you to believe me when I say that I can protect you and I can protect my friends.”

James swallowed hard and dropped his gaze.

“Anything else you can tell us about these guys would be helpful, pal,” Tony sighed and Steve nodded.

“The two cronies, Jack and Brock, they’re Alex’s muscle. Alex, he’s my ex,” His gaze faltered at that. “I left him 9 months ago. Finally managed to get away,” He breathed and they both watched as he ran a trembling hand through his longer hair, grimacing at the feel.

He shook his head. “Abusive, wealthy, powerful,” He frowned. “Dangerous.”

“How did you get away?” Tony asked quietly.

“9 months ago? I outed him to the press, sold some shady information about his back door dealings and took off with the cash,” He shrugged, huffing out a breath. “This time? This time was significantly worse, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Steve’s gaze unintentionally dropped to where James’ hip was poking out, the hint of a bruise visible. But of course James caught it and sucked in a breath.

Steve instantly realized his mistake. “I’m sorry, we didn’t-we didn’t check you over, James, not fully. Didn’t want to invade your privacy like that.”

“But we did see the bruises,” Tony confessed quietly and they both watched in mortification as James tried to curl in on himself, tears rushing to his eyes.

“I’m fine,” He managed after a moment. “I will be fine, I just-“

“ _James_ ,” Steve interrupted, tone gentle. “You keep saying that and I still don’t believe you. It’s okay to not be fine and we’re not here to judge, we’re here to help, all right?”

James nodded stiltedly, even if he wasn’t able to look at them properly. “I brought over some more water if you want to wash up a bit more, but there’s a perfectly good bathroom just down the hall. Do you think if we help you, you could manage?”

He nodded and neither missed the way he swiped at his visible eye, still holding the bag of peas against the other. “Y-yeah,” He croaked, voice rougher than before. “Bathroom would be good, some clothes too?”

“Of course, James. I’ll go get the bathroom ready for you. There’s no soap or anything set up so give me a few minutes to get everything together. Tony will keep you company-“

“ _Yep-_ “ He nodded, already waving Steve away. “Hurry up and come back, you know I don’t-just hurry up, Steve.”

The blond huffed softly and nodded, getting to his feet. “I’ll be back soon. Why don’t you get him some more water to drink and a granola bar or something. You must be starving.”

“Pizza, I’ll get you some pizza,” Tony agreed quickly and when James merely grimaced, he huffed out, “Granola bar it is.”

Steve tried not to waste any more time and quickly rushed up the stairs to his own bathroom. He grabbed his toiletries bag and pulled out a couple of bath towels from the box he’d left earlier. It took him a few minutes longer to rifle around in the clothing boxes in the bedroom, but eventually he found a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring and a comfortable t-shirt he thought might fit.

He pressed his ear against Peter’s door and didn’t hear anything unusual so he quickly and quietly hurried past with his loot.

He set up what he could for James in the bathroom and joined them in the living room. “You ready?”

James merely nodded tiredly and they both worked to help him get to his feet. He was weak, sure, but he was also warm now and hydrated and was feeling much, _much_ better. “I think ‘m okay. Don’t think I can take a proper shower though.”

“That’s okay,” Steve consoled. “I can run the bath for you, it’s no trouble. You just have to be careful not to sit too far in the water, can’t get your stitches wet.”

James grimaced but nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

Steve worried at his lower lip as they got to the bathroom. He started the bath and tried to make sure the temperature would be all right, not too hot and not too cold. Tony had sat James down on the edge of the tub, the sleeping bag wrapped around him as best he could manage. He was looking down at the tub as it filled with water so longingly and Steve’s brows pinches as he nodded to Tony.

“I’m good here if you wanna’ go tidy up the living room?”

“I’m not far if you need me.” His gaze flitted between the pair and when James nodded, Tony slipped from the room.

“Do you want me to help you into the bath?”

James inhaled shakily and nodded reluctantly. “I don’t think I have any choice.”

“Of _course_ you have a choice,” Steve breathed, beside himself with worry. “I’m not-we’re not _trapping_ you here, James. We’re scared for you-“

“No I-“ He shook his head, looking up at Steve sadly. “I meant, I have no choice because I don’t think I can physically get in or out of the bathtub on my own.”

Steve’s shoulders dropped. “Sorry, I didn’t-I’m sorry.”

James merely shrugged and looked back at the water, Steve moving to shut it off. It didn’t go up very high but it was enough to help him get clean at least. “I’ll-I won’t look, okay? I’ll offer you my arms and I’ll close my eyes.”

James huffed. “It’s fine, Steve. Yo-you’re going to have to help me get out later anyway.”

“I’ll do my best to give you your privacy, James,” He assured and the brunet nodded, pushing some of his hair back behind his ear.

“Thank you,” He whispered, making to unwrap the sleeping back from himself.

Steve turned away and busied himself with the towels for no other reason than he didn’t know what else to do with himself. He could hear James breathing shakily behind him as he dropped the sleeping bag from his shoulders. The rustle of fabric was loud in the empty bathroom and Steve waited with his own bated breath for him to ask for help.

It wasn’t long before James was calling for him quietly, just a simple, “You can turn around, I-I need to hold onto you to lower myself in.”

“Of course,” Steve reassured, calmly turning around and looking up high, much higher than where James’ face would be.

“Steve,” James sighed. “Come here.”

Steve huffed but took a few steps towards the tub. James’ hand curled around his forearm when he reached out to offer it to him and he quickly extended the other. James used his grip on his arms to lower himself down into the tub and with a bit of awkward direction, Steve was able to get him settled without incident.

“I’ve got some soap here and a cloth for you,” He offered, picking the items up off the counter and carefully setting them down on the edge of the tub.

All the while making sure to keep his gaze averted.

“Thank you, Steve. I shouldn’t be long.”

“All right, just call when you’re ready-“

“You’re not going to stay?”

Steve paused at the door and he knew it would be safe to look at James from his spot, confident the lip of the tub would conceal him. The tone of the man’s voice had him wanting to instantly return to his side. “I-if you want me to, I can stay.”

James nodded, brows pinched and Steve could see him curled over his knees, clutching the cloth. “Please stay,” He requested quietly.

Steve was helpless. He couldn’t say no. He nodded and sat down beside the door, pushing it closed a bit more. “Thank you,” James whispered and Steve just nodded, looking down at his hands as he mirrored James’ posture.

He listened as James moved around in the water, the soft drip of it as he no doubt dragged the cloth over himself. Steve closed his eyes and cupped his head in his hands, exhaling deeply as he ran his fingers through his already messy hair.

“If I’m m-making you that uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay-“

“ _No_ , I-“ Steve huffed, jerking his head up and found himself meeting James’ steel grey eyes once again and they were so round and were now brimming with unshed tears. “No, James. You’re not making me uncomfortable, not at all. I just wanna’ do right by you. What yo-you’ve been through, I wouldn’t wish that on anybody and I just-I want you to be comfortable around me and I know we only just met, but-“

“Thank you for the pie,” He whispered, startling Steve into silence.

Steve’s gaze softened and he found himself smiling just this side of crooked. “You’re welcome.”

James huffed quietly and turned back to his task, Steve’s gaze sliding away again. He knew it was to distract him, the change in conversation, move them away from the painfully obvious. Steve couldn’t fault him for it. “Did you end up getting a slice?”

“I did, and the cheesecake. Tony and I had it for desert, the pie I was saving for later,” He confessed.

James smiled softly to himself and hummed, Steve’s gaze inadvertently being drawn back to the man.

He was looking down at his legs, his knees no longer visible over the rim of the tub. Steve tore his gaze away when he saw James’ expression fall as he shifted in the water, the flash of pain in his features. He wanted to ask if he was okay but that was a stupid question. Of course he wasn’t okay. But Steve couldn’t sit there in silence.

“Are there any lacerations that need ointment or anything? I can get you whatever you need. I have a pretty extensive first aid kid,” He offered quietly.

James shifted and exhaled shakily. “You a nurse or something?”

“Nah,” Steve huffed. “My ma was and I picked up a few things over the years.”

“Came in handy, I suppose,” James hummed and Steve sighed.

“On occasion, yeah, it does. But you didn’t answer my question.”

James swallowed hard and there was a hitched breath as he shifted in the water. “There’s nothing serious…nothing that I haven’t dealt with before.”

Steve blanched, his head coming up too quickly and knocking against the wall at his back. James looked over at him at the noise, apology and shame warring in his eyes and Steve let out a shaky breath, shaking his head before he could stop himself.

“He’s t-touched you before like this? Hurt you before like-like _that?_ ”

James nodded reluctantly, a deep furrow between his brow and a terribly small frown on his face.

“I’ll kill him. I can’t-I can’t believe-he’s a dead man, James, I-“

“ _Steve_ -“ James breathed, shifting in the tub to look at him head on, leaning heavily against the side, utterly shocked by his vehemence.

“I’m fuckin’ serious, James-“

The wide-eyed look the brunet was giving him was enough to stall him and he sucked in a sharp breath, stunned by what he’d just said. “I’m sorry, I-“

“Would you actually-would-“ James paused, unable to give voice to his thoughts and Steve blinked.

“ _Yes-_ ” He whispered and there was zero hesitation and he thought he should be at least a little shocked by the seriousness of his promise and yet he very much wasn’t. “He comes anywhere near you…I won’t hesitate.”  
James clenched his jaw shut in an attempt to stifle a whimper and it startled Steve so badly, he jumped. James didn’t see it, however, too busy clenching his eyes shut tightly as he turned back to his task.

Steve could only stare at him because he had no idea if that was a good or bad noise and he was sort of terrified to find out. He opted not to ask nor to open his mouth again unless absolutely necessary.

James did no such thing.

“Can you help me with my hair?” He asked timidly, turning his head away from the blond.

“You want me to wash your hair?”

James looked over his shoulder at him, having drawn his knees up to his chest. “Would you? I can’t lie back or I’ll get the stitches wet.”

Steve nodded dumbly and got to his feet. “I’m sure I can find something to- _oh_ , this should work.”

He’d found a small cup hiding beneath the sink. There was some cleaning supplies left and what looked like a bath toy or two as well. He wondered if the cup was for a child for the same purpose. “I-I can stay behind you, if you want?”

James averted his gaze and shook his head. “Can you stay at my left, instead?”

“Of course,” Steve blurted without thought. Because yeah, he would do just about anything James asked of him he was beginning to realize.

Steve shifted around to his opposite side, mindful to keep his gaze above James’ shoulder and it worked, it also helped that James was still sitting up with his knees tucked beneath his chin. He was leaning to his left a bit, careful to keep the stitches above water and Steve settled down just beside James’ shoulder.

“This okay?”

He nodded, gaze returning to the water and Steve did his best not to let his eyes wander as he gently scooped up some of the warm water in the cup. “Can you tip your head back a bit? I’ll support your back and shoulders.”

James answered him with a quiet, _yeah_ and Steve helped him tip his head back so he could pour water over his dirtied hair. It was tangled to hell and back, matted with sweat and dirt. Now that Steve was looking closer, he could see bits of twigs and leaves riddled in it too. He frowned and gently carded his fingers through the wet strands and did his best to detangle the worst of the knots.

James didn’t make a sound even when Steve was sure he must be tugging too hard in some places, his whispered apologies were shrugged off and Steve felt all the more awful for the discomfort. “Is this okay?” He asked after a while, gently massaging the shampoo into his scalp.

“Yeah,” James just about sighed, head tipped back, eyes closed and Steve swallowed hard, lightly pressing his fingers in to the back of his neck, massaging the tense muscles there.

The quiet breath James let out at that had Steve momentarily pausing before he warned him of the rinse. He grabbed the small bottle of conditioner and debated over it for a moment. He’d liked the way it felt to run his fingers through his longer locks and they weren’t exactly free of tangles and he knew the conditioner would help with that.

“Do you want me to put conditioner in for you?”

James tipped his head forward a bit and cast a sideways glance at the blond. “Please?”

“Of course,” He murmured, watching James’ profile as he turned his head away.

He gently worked the conditioner into his longer strands and wet, his hair ended almost at his shoulders, thick and dark. Earlier today it had looked so touch-ably soft and he wondered what it would feel like to run his hands through his dry waves. He murmured a quiet, _rinse_ and tried to ignore the thought, breathing out slowly as James hummed and tipped his head back.

Steve thought he looked much more relaxed now that he was clean and he’d sort of hoped the massage had helped at least a little bit too. “I’ll grab a towel for you? Help you get on your feet and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

“Yeah, ‘f course,” He replied, voice quiet and Steve hummed, turning his head away from the brunet to pick up one of the towels.

He held it up in front of him and tentatively extended his arms for James to take hold of. It took a moment to help him stand but once he had his balance, he took the towel and wrapped it around his waist. Steve had already turned away to give him privacy and when James whispered softly, “you can turn around now,” he didn’t hesitate.

His gaze focused nervously on his shoulder and he tried not to dwell on the mottled bruising there as he offered him his arms. “Come on, let’s get you into some warm clothes.”

James nodded, looking more relaxed and relieved than Steve had seen him thus far tonight. He helped James out of the tub and when he insisted on dressing himself, Steve didn’t hesitate to step aside and give him privacy.

In doing so, however, his gaze fell on the sleeping bag and tucked into the smallest ball they’d fit in the shape of, James’ briefs. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, wondering how he was going to get rid of them without James noticing. He’d not given the man any underwear, uncertain if he’d want to share something so personal, but he knew the track pants would be looser on his slighter frame, surely.

“Much better,” James sighed and Steve’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.

“How are you feeling? Are the stitches all right?”

“Tired and I think they’re fine, just aches, _stings_ ,” He murmured and Steve nodded, still facing the wall. “Can-can you help me back out?”

“Yeah, I-can I turn around?’

“Yeah.”

Steve shifted and turned, pivoted, more like and cast his gaze nervously over James’ shoulder before slipping a bit lower. He filled out the t-shirt just fine and although the track pants were a bit big, the drawstring allowed him to cinch them tight enough to keep them on his slim hips, even if they were rather low.

“They fit all right?” He queried, glancing down at his sock covered toes.

“Yeah, they’re fine, better than.”

Steve nodded and shifting to stand adjacent with James, he offered him his arm to lean on. “Good, let’s get you back out by the fire, keep you warm.”

They’d barely made it the few steps to the door when James stopped him with a quiet, “Wait.”

Steve paused, having only just opened the door a smidge. “What’s wrong?”

“I meant what I said about Alex, about his friends. They’er dangerous, Steve and I-“

Steve shifted, arm now wrapped around the man’s back and when he lifted the hem of his shirt, James’ eyes naturally fell to the movement. “And I meant what I said about that. I can protect you, I can protect us.”

James’ eyes never left the butt of the gun, clearly visible and pressed tight against Steve’s lower abdomen. “Are you a police officer?”

Steve was very much aware that nowadays not as many people recognized him, he was also very much aware that he enjoyed it, and very much so. Living in the spotlight for the last- _ugh_ -however long, was tiring and now that he was free to just be _Steve Rogers_ , he was beginning to like it. But having James not know exactly _who_ and _what_ he was right this moment? It was proving to be a little bit of a conflicting dilemma. He didn’t want to out himself yet. He would, eventually. But not right now.

“No,” Steve murmured, lowering his shirt once again, making sure nothing of the gun was showing.

When James clearly expected more of an explanation but didn’t get it, Steve turned his gaze away and exhaled deeply. “It’s a long story.”

“Some other time then,” James murmured and Steve paused but a moment as they stepped into the hallway.

He wasn’t sure if James was serious or not and he glanced down at the man to find him looking up at him through his impossibly long lashes. “Sure,” He agreed quietly, finding that he truly meant it.

James nodded and glanced away and Steve did his best to help the man back into the living room. Tony was bent in front of the fire, feeding it another log and James glanced nervously around them. “The light will be too much, they might see-“

“Do you really think they would come out in this weather?” Tony questioned, frowning as he looked towards the back windows, obscured by thick grey drapes.

“ _Yes-_ “ He breathed. “Once they realize I’m gone, they’ve probably already realized.”

“You got away when they weren’t looking?” Tony asked incredulously.

“They left me cuffed with zip-ties in the bathroom. They were p-passed out, probably would be for a while,” He muttered, looking away as he was helped to sit up, propped up with a pillow. “One and done kinda guys,” He sighed quietly.

It was a whisper, barely more than a breath and yet it had Tony’s face turning ashen and Steve’s truly fairing no better.

When he looked up, Steve was staring at him with the saddest eyes and James realized his mistake. He hadn’t been quiet enough. “Sorry, I-“

“Don’t apologize,” Steve whispered, voice hoarse as he sat back down on the coffee table, glancing towards Tony who had sat down heavily on one of the other chairs.

“Is there anything I can get you?” Steve asked quietly.

“N-no, um, actually, maybe some more water?”

“Of course,” He murmured, getting to his feet to pour him a glass of water. “I think the firelight will be muted enough in here with the heavy curtains. No one would be able to see it from outside-“

“And I’ve pulled all the drapes in the other rooms closed, doors too. No one could see in,” Tony assured.

“Wh-what if they just march in here? What if they find your place and just knock on the goddamn door, tell you some sob story about their car breaking down or something?” James asked, his voice shaking, his panic clearly starting to get the better of him.

Steve shook his head patiently. “I won’t let them in, I won’t acknowledge that they’re there either. We’ll keep the lights off, stay low and keep our ears open. It’ll be fine, James.”

James frowned and took the glass of water Steve held out for him withs taking hands.

“Steve knows what he’s doing,” Tony offered quietly. “I know you don’t know him, only just met him today, for crying out loud, but he’s a good man, a smart one too. If he says he can keep us safe, I believe him and I’m asking you to believe him too.”

“ _Daddy?_ ”

James startled, water sloshing over the rim of his glass at the softly spoken voice. Tony got up so quickly and practically ran to the staircase. “ _Peter_ , what are you doing out of bed, sweetheart?”

Peter made a soft noise, clutching Lily in his arms, carrying her in a way that probably wasn’t all that comfortable for the pup. Not that she was complaining. “I heard water running and then I had to pee and then I was thirsty.”

Tony had to laugh, dropping his head a little as he knelt down beside his son to help him hold Lily properly. “All right, Pete. Let’s get you a glass of water. Did you already go to the bathroom?”

“Yes,” He yawned, rubbing at his eye tiredly before trying to look around Tony’s shoulder. “Who’s that?”

Tony swallowed thickly and turned, taking Peter’s hand as they set Lily on the floor. “He’s a friend of Steve’s, honey, come on. Let’s be quick so we can get you back into bed.”

Tony took him to the kitchen and James immediately turned his attention back to Steve, his eyes round, _worried_. “Y-you have a child here, I-I can’t-“

“ _Don’t-_ “ Steve interrupted, voice firm. “You’re not leaving.”

“ _Steve-_ “ James pleaded. “I won’t put a child at risk.”

“You’re not, now stop arguing with me, Jamesand drink your water. I’ll fix you some soup. You must be hungry.”

James could only shake his head, watching as Steve got to his feet and ran a hand through his shorter blond locks. He was looking into the kitchen to where Tony had sat Peter up on the counter to give him a drink of water. The boy was clearly still half asleep as he drank from his glass while Tony smiled and rubbed his back and Steve could only smile at the sight.

“You have a beautiful son,” James whispered after a moment and Steve’s gaze flickered down to meet the younger man’s eyes.

“Oh, Peter’s not my son, but yeah, he is beautiful. Takes after his father,” He chuckled.

James’ brows furrowed slightly. “So, he’s your step son?”

Steve shook his head. “What? _Oh_ , no he’s not-we’re not,” He huffed, trying to organize his thoughts. “Tony and I are close friends, we’re not together. Peter is his son, his wife-“ He paused. “She’s not in the picture anymore.”

“Oh,” Was all James managed. “I just thought, since they’re here and all…”

Steve shifted and looked down at his hands for a moment. “Nah, came up to surprise me on moving day. Brought me a housewarming gift-“ He laughed softly as Lily barrelled towards him. “Speak of the little devil.”

He lifted the pup up from where she was happily wagging her tail at his feet and James’ face lit up. “They got you a puppy?”

“Yeah, her name’s Lily, sweet little thing,” He sighed, scratching behind her ears lightly and digging his fingers beneath her collar.

“That was really sweet of them to come see you, bring you such a nice gift, too.”

Steve smiled and nodded, setting Lily back down on the floor when she started squirming, seeing Tony and Peter starting towards them. “Yeah, it was.”

Peter was looking between the pair quietly, hair sticking up every which way with pillow creases imprinted on his cheeks. James couldn’t help smiling at him. “Hi there, I’m James.”

Peter paused in his steps at the end of the sofa. “H-hi, I’m Peter.”

“It’s nice to meet you, kiddo,” He greeted and Peter blinked those brown innocent doe eyes at him and Bucky softened even more when he next spoke.

“What happened to-to your eye?” He asked hesitantly and James swallowed thickly.

“Nothing you have to worry yourself over, kid.”

Peter frowned at that and glanced to Steve who was still sitting on the edge of the coffee table and then back to James. “Does it hurt?”

“Not too much and Steve and your dad are looking after me, so don’t worry, okay?”

Peter’s shoulders relaxed a bit and Bucky glanced up at Tony when he tried to gently guide his son away. “Come on, Peter. Let’s get you back to bed.”

Peter started to turn but seemed to think better of it, slipping from his father’s grasp and picking up Lily who’d been sitting quietly at his feet. “Do you want to hold Lily? She’s really good at giving cuddles. Makes me feel better.”

James had to swallow to get the sudden well of tears to stay down. He smiled and Steve could see his lower lip tremble as he shook his head. “That’s really sweet of you, Peter and I don’t doubt that she gives excellent cuddles. But I think what would make me feel better is if you were getting cuddles from Lily, that’d definitely make me happier.”

Peter nodded, his face lighting up and scooped Lily up quickly, holding her tight to his chest. James huffed a soft breath as Peter nuzzled his face against Lily’s soft brown fur. “Okay, I’ll cuddle her for you.”

“Thanks, Peter, you get some sleep, okay?”

He nodded, turning back towards his father, Tony looking down at him, gaze straying momentarily back to James.

“Okay, good night and feel better,” Peter said on a yawn and James shook his head with a soft smile as Tony picked Peter and the puppy up to carry upstairs.

Steve exhaled slowly once they hit the steps and glanced back to James, watching him quietly for a moment. “I’ll go get you that soup, sit tight.”

James watched him go, watched him turn on the light over the stove as he busied himself putting on a bit of soup for him and wondered how he’d managed to stumble into Steve’s life. His gaze flickered along the blond’s frame and he quickly dropped his gaze when Steve glanced over his shoulder to check on him.

He tried to make himself comfortable, dragging over a blanket Tony had pulled out for him since he’d forgotten the sleeping bag in the bathroom. He swallowed hard. They hadn’t drained the bath water, nor had he gotten rid of his briefs. His cheeks flushed with mortification and he looked down at his hands curled in his lap.

“What’s that look for?” Tony asked quietly, startling him with his quick return. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“N-no, sorry, you didn’t just didn’t hear you coming.”

“Startled, then,” Tony hummed and James glanced away. “So, what was the look for?”

“I-“ He grimaced. “I left what’s probably Peter’s sleeping bag in the bathroom and I didn’t exactly get to tidy up after myself in there.”

Tony frowned and glanced over his shoulder towards the bathroom. “There’s a laundry room, we can wash your stuff. I think Steve’s already taken your jeans and stuff in there to be washed.”

James looked down at his hands, at the dozens of scratches littering his skin and forearms. “I wanted to burn the clothes-“

“We’ll do it in the morning, no worries. For now, I’ll go grab your towels and stuff from the bathroom and be back in a few, okay?”

James hesitated before nodding and Tony let out a quiet sigh before he headed off to the bathroom.

When he came back out after his trip to the laundry room, he looked paler than James cared for. “Sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s alright,” Tony reassured, sitting down heavily on the opposite chair.

James shook his head. “It’s not, I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be in this position at all, it’s my fault they-“

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Tony snapped, startling him and James didn’t miss the way Steve’s head whipped up from his task at the counter. “ _None_ of this is your fault, James. _None of it._ ” He repeated and James swallowed thickly and looked away, a quietly whispered, _okay_ all he could manage right then.

Steve brought him his soup a couple minutes later with crackers and even a bit of toast. He didn’t have much of an appetite but he knew he needed to eat something, especially if Steve was going to be giving him an antibiotic.

“Sorry, you gotta’ take it with food, James.”  
He exhaled shakily and nodded, nibbling at his toast. “I know, I’ll manage.”

“You feeling any better?” Tony asked. “After your bath and the pain meds?”

James made a soft noise in agreement, sipping some of the broth directly from the bowl and grimacing at the soft _slurp_ noise he made. “Sorry, uh yeah I do feel a bit better, definitely in less pain now. _Christ_ it was fuckin’ cold out there.”

Steve’s face was going to remain permanently pinched tonight it seemed. “I’ll get you another blanket,” He blurted, already up and going to the stack of boxes by the dining room table.

James frowned and watched him go and he’d barely opened his mouth to say something when Tony sighed, “Let him take care of you, please? He gets like this and he’s actually stupidly good at it.”

James blinked, surprised, but settled back with a nod, finished with his soup. When Steve came back with two blankets and three pillows, James found himself laughing tiredly, glancing over at Tony who was smiling fondly at his friend while Steve helped prop him up with a pillow. James pulled a blanket up around his shoulders and exhaled deeply feeling warm and soft, maybe a touch fuzzy from the meds.

“So-“ Tony sighed, flopping down into the chair, Steve sitting lightly on the oversized arm rest. “What now?”

Steve sighed and pulled his cellphone out. “Try and get a call out.”

They spent the next twenty-minutes calling any number they had and yet nothing would go through. Not even a simple text message. James watched them through each _call failed_ sound, each notification that their texts _could not be delivered_ and his heart just sank further and further the longer they tried.

“I’m down to 4%, Steve, I gotta get my charger,” Tony sighed, setting his phone down to head upstairs to his bags.

The look James gave Steve when he looked up from his phone was far more revealing than he intended.

“ _Hey-_ “ Steve called softly. “It’s going to be all right, James. Why don’t you get some rest?”

James nodded, because what else could he do? Here was this man, this complete stranger, offering to protect him. He’d brought him in from the literal cold, nursed him back to health, even if he wasn’t on the verge of death, he would have probably died from hypothermia.

He shuddered a little at the thought and when Steve got up to throw another log on the fire, he felt a little sorry for shivering at all. He was actually quite warm now and tired, really fucking tired. He knew it was probably a combination of the pain meds and the sheer _exhaustion_ he felt from trekking 2 and a half miles through the wilderness in the middle of goddamn _winter_.

But he didn’t think it was _right_ to sleep, not when he’d put them in danger, a _child_ in danger. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and it felt near tennis ball size. It wouldn’t happen, nothing would happen to the kid, to Steve or Tony. James would throw himself at Alex’s feet before he ever let that happen. This was his mess and his fault, no matter what Tony or Steve said. It was his fault. _Everything is always your fault_.

He tried to stay awake, he really did, but he knew it wouldn’t be long until he simply couldn’t any longer.

Less than ten-minutes later he’d slipped in to sleep and Steve stood from where he’d bent to plug in his own cellphone. He could see that James had finally fallen asleep and he exhaled shakily as he reached out to adjust the blanket that had ridden up to expose his sock covered feet.

“Steve?” Tony called quietly.

Steve moved away from a sleeping James and joined his friend in the kitchen. “Everything okay?”

Tony nodded and glanced over at James. “He asleep?”

“Yeah, he fought it though.”

“He thinks it’s his fault,” Tony sighed, rubbing tiredly at his temples. “How anyone could think something like this is their fault- _Steve-_ he’s just a _kid_. He never should have gone through any of this. _Christ_ , he was raped by an ex-boyfriend and his _lackeys,_ Steve. What kind of monster-“

“ _Tony-_ “ Steve whispered, gently grasping his friend’s shoulders. “I _know_ , Tones, _I know_. That-no one deserves that and I’m going to make sure those men pay for what they’ve done.”

It was said so lowly and with so much conviction, Tony could only breathe shakily for a moment. “What’s your plan?”

If his voice shook a little, Steve didn’t comment on it. He lifted the hem of his shirt and Tony’s eyes darted down to the gun pressed to his abs. “Good plan,” Tony managed, voice strangled as he leant back against the kitchen counter.

Steve huffed and dropped his shirt. “If they even come this far. I don’t know, it was really coming down out there.”

“What’s it like now?” Tony wondered, glancing towards the curtained doors.

“We can take a look, but not in here. I’ll run up to the master, it’s got a good view of the backyard and the bathroom, the front.”

Tony nodded, worrying at his lower lip. “You won’t be gone long, right?”

“I won’t be gone long,” He agreed quietly and Tony nodded, watching as he took to the stairs.

.

When Steve reached the master bedroom, he took a moment to breathe. Today had been unlike anything he’d expected. He was overwhelmed and though he was trying to remain level headed, _calm_ , he could feel his edges wearing already. He exhaled slowly and went to the window that faced the backyard first.

The drapes had been pulled over and he glanced around and made sure there was no lights on in the room before very gently moving the curtain to take a peek. Despite the moon being nothing but a sliver tonight, the snow made it very easy to reflect off. It was still difficult to see outside, but he could see enough.

The snow was still coming down, those large flakes settling and blanketing just about everything. From here he could see the steps down by the back door as well as the wood shed, all appeared to be still. Just the falling snow.

He let his gaze drift further from the house but he was squinting almost immediately. The rapidly falling snow making him feel dizzy as he tried to see past it, out to the pond and further. But he could see nothing, no lights, no movement and while that was a good sign, he also recognized that he couldn’t exactly see wonderfully what with the dark and snow.

He huffed softly and carefully pulled the drape shut once again before heading into the bathroom. Here there weren’t any drapes, just white shutters and he nervously fretted about opening them because it would be much more visible that peeking from behind the curtain. But there was nothing for it. He needed to make sure.

He’d barely opened the shutters more than a centimetre when he heard a dull thud, but it hadn’t come from inside the house, nor close to it. He frowned and listened, still not fully able to see outside and he shifted the shutter just a bit more. He did his best to squint through the narrow space and caught the flicker of a light down towards the road. Actually, he realized, with the way the window faced, he was able to discern that it was from further down the road and what he was seeing was through the trees a ways.

He frowned, watching the bouncing of first one light and then another. He couldn’t tell if there was a vehicle, if they’d even managed to get a vehicle up from the hotel that far he wasn’t certain. But he knew that there were at least two lights bouncing between the trees and James had said there were three. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the other was close behind.

He carefully closed the shutters and alighted the stairs. When he found Tony worrying at his lower lip as he sat in front of the fire, Steve realized that he was going to have to do his best to keep it together. He could do this. It would be all right.

He glanced towards the alarm system and exhaled harshly. “Tony?” He called softly, the brunet’s head whipping up. “I need you to get the alarm set as quickly and quietly as possible.”

Tony nodded and immediately got to his feet and went to the kitchen to grab the paperwork.

.

The next few minutes had Steve double and triple checking the doors and windows while Tony activated the security system. It was done fairly quietly, only a few quiet beeps on the keypad as he punched in numbers. The louder triple beep lock had Steve glancing over to his friend who merely looked to him and nodded, closing up the alarm panel.

“Got it?”

Tony nodded. “It’s Peter’s birthday, day, month, and year.”

Steve nodded slowly and joined his friend near the front door. “I want you to sit with James and be very quiet. Stay low. If he wakes up, keep him quiet and keep him still. Don’t move unless I tell you to, understood?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah.”

Steve nodded and brushed his knuckles lightly against the back of his friend’s hand. He was looking towards the stairs. “I told him to stay in his room. If he wakes up, he’s supposed to let Lily out. I know she’d come find us right away if he put her in the hallway.”

Steve nodded and exhaled slowly. “That’s good, Tony. He’ll be all right.”

Tony didn’t say anything to that. He had to believe it and he knew that so long as Steve or he breathed, they’d do anything and everything to protect Peter.

Steve watched his friend return to the living room and kneel down beside James on the sofa and was momentarily struck by the gravity of the situation. They were alone, couldn’t connect to the outside, could _drive_ anywhere without the risk of getting stuck outside for the night. Staying here was their safest option. They had food and shelter and electricity. They had him and he could do this. Whatever it took.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the small-ish update. I haven’t had a chance to edit anything further than this. <3 Thank you for reading.

It was quiet in the house, only the light crackling of the fire and the hum of the appliances filling the space. They were letting the fire get low, neither wanting to stoke it in fear of it letting too much smoke up through the chimney. Surely whoever was on their way up to the house would be able to see it and know someone was home, but maybe they would think they’d gone to sleep for the night and James hadn’t stumbled into their lives.

Steve could only hope, but something about the way James spoke of them told him that wasn’t likely going to be the case. Still, he could hope.

It was quiet for a long while, nearly a half an hour. The wind had picked up considerably, however, and he was forced to strain his ears for any hint of sound. He didn’t dare open a drape to look and he wasn’t about to go back upstairs to try and catch a glimpse of them. He glanced over to Tony and James from near the front door, wondering if he’d woken at all but he seemed to be fast asleep with Tony sitting on the floor by his head, eyes tracking Steve’s movements.

He’d been silent for so long, listening, and it finally paid off. There was a snap of a branch from the backyard and then a hiss of, “you idiot-“ said so low and far too close.

Judging by the volume, Steve assumed they were in the bushes that were in front of the office window. He narrowed his eyes and walked closer to the front window to listen.

There was a faint sound of shuffling outside and more whispered words and Steve found himself glancing towards Tony and then the closed office door. He raised a hand to Tony when he went to stand and the brunet carefully knelt back down.

There were no noises to indicate anyone had made it in and besides, the alarm would have gone. So, Steve walked along in front of the window and listened as best he could. The shuffling continued and then there were the sounds of heavy footprints through the snow. He followed the sound of their footsteps down the hallway.

He bypassed the office and slipped in to the bathroom and saw the flash of light through the small window beside the sink, curtained, thank goodness. He could hear softly spoken whispers but couldn’t make out the words and soon they were moving on towards the back of the home.

He frowned and came back out into the living room, quieting Tony with a calm shushing motion, finger pressed to his lips. Tony didn’t move, barely breathed, from what it looked like. And James was thankfully still asleep.

He could hear the crunching footsteps through the snow out back, drifting away from the doors but not going too far. He frowned when he heard a hiss and what sounded like a small scuffle. “Be careful! They’ve got a security system.”

Steve’s heart-rate ticked up. Maybe they’d leave. He’d noticed the security company stickers on the corners of some of the windows and it looks like the men had noticed themselves.

“Okay, fine. New plan-“ Was as much as Steve heard before they were going back around the front the opposite way.

“They’re going back around front,” He murmured quietly, having come back into the living room to Tony.

Tony nodded, glancing back towards the front door. “You think I can watch them from upstairs if you stay down here? I can talk to you quietly from the top of the stairs.”

Steve nodded, face pinched. “Yeah, that sounds good. Go into my bathroom, be really careful with the shutters though, all right?”

Tony nodded and clapped Steve lightly on the shoulder before he headed for the stairs and Steve was left alone for a moment with James. He glanced down nervously at the younger man and exhaled deeply. The lines etched in his young face were drastically deepened by the light the low burning embers gave off. The house was very dark now and that was no different for the living room, but not pitch, thankfully.

He cast a look back to the front door and then went to the bottom of the stairs to listen for Tony.

It took him no more than five-minutes before he was met with Tony’s concerned face. “They were looking at the garage. They didn’t go in, but the door has a window.”

“They’ll see both our vehicles,” Steve murmured and Tony nodded.

“They’ll know there’s at least two people here, two adults,” He agreed and Steve hummed.

“Maybe,” He looked back across the space to the front door on the other side. He shook his head. “Where did you see them last?”

“They’re staying around the garage, but they can’t get in. I think they’re worried about the alarm system being hooked up out there,” Tony shook his head. “One of them, he keeps pulling the other two back from the door and he seems kinda paranoid? Keeps looking over his shoulder every five-seconds.”

Steve frowned, shifting uncomfortably. “All right, go back with James. I’m going to go upstairs and watch for a bit.”

Tony nodded and came back down the stairs before Steve cast him a long look as he headed to join James. He turned away and climbed the stairs.

He watched for nearly an hour as the men moved from the garage, to the wood shed, back towards the front window and back doors. They didn’t do anything, but they were looking for something, someone, more like. He had no idea if there were any traces of where James had been outside. He hadn’t exactly stopped to pick up after him, far more concerned with getting the kid inside.

He shook his head. He should have gone out the moment James told him, covered his tracks, something. Hopefully the snow would be enough to cover up any traces of him having been there. He exhaled slowly. What’s done is done, I’ll figure the rest out.

When the three men started heading towards the wood shed, Steve found himself stiffening as one seemed to lag behind and come closer to the house. He was the bigger of the three, not quite as tall as himself, but he looked like a bigger guy even from this distance.

The other two had already put space between them and Steve nearly ran to the stairs in case he came up to the back door. But then he stopped, suddenly, at the bottom of the steps to the porch and Steve’s heart plummeted. He’d found something.

He watched as the man bent, brushed some of the snow aside on the bottommost step and shone what looked like his phone’s flashlight against the step. From here, Steve couldn’t see what he saw, but he had a feeling he knew when the man swiped a bit of the snow aside and looked at it too close to be coincidence. James’ blood was probably all over that step. He’d been bleeding through his shirt, had cuts over his arms and face. There was probably a fair bit of it out there and lord knows how long James had lain there before he’d found him.

He shook his head, watching then as the man took a quick step back from the porch, shut off his light and looked up at the house. Steve prayed he wouldn’t be noticed. He’d pulled the drape only a little away from the window and flattened himself against the wall beside it, peering down into the backyard below. If he moved now, however, he’d surely see the drape shift.

Steve had to wait with bated breath as the man stepped further away from the house before turning and rushing off after the other two. When he too disappeared into the wood shed, Steve let the drape carefully fall back into place before he bolted for the stairs.

.

“They know he’s here,” Steve breathed, startling Tony from where he’d been staring down at his phone, still trying to get a call out.

“H-how?”

“I think he must have bled for a while near the steps. I don’t think the snow covered it all.”

Tony wore sharply and Steve frowned, glancing down at the still sleeping James. “Don’t wake him if you can help it.”

Tony nodded and ran shaking fingers through his hair. “What do we do now?”

“We keep doing what we’re doing, watch them, wait and if I see a weapon or they get in here, I will not hesitate to take them out.”

Tony breathed out roughly through his nose and glanced towards the stairs. “What about Peter?”

“If they try and-if they even look like they’re going to make an attempt to break in here, you are going to move Peter to my bathroom and make him lock the door.”

“Okay, okay,” Tony whispered and Steve nodded.

“I’m going to stay here by the back door and I need you to go to the bathroom window down the hall and watch them. You tell me if they leave the wood shed, all right?”

Tony nodded and didn’t bother to stay a moment longer before taking off down the hall. Steve turned his attention to the back door and just let himself listen.

Fifteen-minutes later, Steve was startled by James’ soft voice calling out to him. “They’re here…aren’t they?”

Steve’s gaze snapped to him lying prone on the sofa. He nodded. “Been here for about an hour-“

“Why didn’t you wake me?” James hissed, his face paling when he sat up too quickly.

Steve was quickly by his side and helping him sit up. “They haven’t done anything and I figured you could use the sleep. They’re out in the wood shed. Tony’s keeping an eye on them from the bathroom,” He explained and James swallowed hard.

“Do t-they know I’m here?”

Steve could hear the fear in his voice, the apprehension. He nodded, gently placing his hand over where James was clutching at the blankets. “I think one of them saw where you’d lain near the steps. There must have been blood in the snow and it didn’t get covered entirely by the blizzard.”

James nodded and glanced away. “But they’re just, what? Standing out there?”

“They’re hiding in the wood shed. There’s honestly nothing much out there that I could see earlier. Just piles of logs and kindling, a-“ He paused and then shook his head. “Tony’s keeping an eye on them and he’ll come get us if-“

“Two of them came out of the shed, they’re walking to the far side,” Tony blurted from the hallway.

“Okay,” Steve said calmly. “Okay,” He repeated. “James-“

The brunet looked up at him from the sofa and swallowed hard. “Go down the hallway and into the office and close the door.”

“What? I can’t-you can’t just-“

“Don’t make me put you in there myself,” He warned and James swallowed hard. “Tony, walk him there and then come right back.”

Tony nodded and moved to help a reluctant James while Steve moved through the kitchen towards the laundry room and the basement stairs. He’d left the door open to the basement earlier and now he moved to close it over a bit more, leaving it only just a crack. He had a feeling he knew what they were doing.

“Where do you want me?” Tony asked him and when Steve glanced down the hallway, he could see the door of the office opening a bit and James’ head peeking out.

He shook his head and turned his attention back to his friend. “You’re going to go move Peter into my bathroom. Wake him, put his blankets and pillows in the tub and make sure Lily stays with him. Tell him to close the door behind you, lock it and to not come out for anyone except for you or I. Got it?”

Tony was nodding and already rushing to turn away, but then Steve grabbed him by the shoulder. “I’m not done,” He murmured and Tony looked up at him nervously. “You’re going to take this-“

When Steve pulled the gun from his pants, Tony was already shaking his head. “Steve, I can’t-you know I can’t.”

“You can, Tony. You are going to take this and you are going to stand at the top of those stairs and not move until I tell you to. If anyone steps onto the bottom of those steps, you shoot. You shoot and you don’t think. Just do it. You know how to use a gun, you’re good with it even-“

“Steve, a shooting range is not the same as-“

“I know,” He stressed, squeezing his shoulder. “But if it comes down to protecting Peter. You’ll do it and you won’t think twice about it, will you?”

“Yes-“ Tony breathed and he meant it with every fibre of his being.

Steve flipped the gun around after checking it himself, flipping the safety back on and offering it to his friend. Tony took it without hesitation and checked it himself, clicking the safety back on.

“I will call for you, I’ll use our old safeword-“

“Steve-“

“What? That way you’ll know it’s definitely me,” Steve tried for a smile and Tony shook his head.

“You’re an asshole, just so you know,” He muttered and Steve smiled and turned to head back to the living room.

“Love you too, Tones.”

“Uh huh-“ He heard Tony huff.

“Don’t come down no matter what you hear, all right?” He called quietly after him, his friend’s quiet hum the only noise letting him know he’d been heard.

It was eerily quiet as Steve moved through the house. He had a sneaking suspicion that they were going to attempt to cut the power because of the alarm and while that wouldn’t be ideal, it wasn’t like they were exactly using anything right now. Besides, they had the generator, it’d be fine.

He didn’t know much about security systems but what he did know was that most in the event of a power outage, would contact the security company and they would send a courtesy Police car out to check it out. But even if it had been set up, he knew that there would have been no check-in thanks to the storm and he figured that’s what these guys were counting on.

He could hear movement outside but he wasn’t really sure where the electrical panel was, regardless, he was pretty sure they’d figured it out. “They’re going to cut the power, Tones,” He whispered in quiet warning, walking back through the living room to speak to James.

“What are they doing?” He whispered and Steve huffed softly.

“Thought I told you to close the door,” He sighed and James rolled his eyes.

Why Steve found that so endearing, he’d have to analyze later. “They’re about to cut the power and listen, under no circumstances are you to go near the stairs. Tony will shoot anything that’s in his line of sight. Understood?”  
He nodded and Steve hummed, glancing over James’ shoulder. “I suppose you don’t want to get in the closet, do you?”

In response, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave him the fiercest look Steve had ever been on the receiving end of.

“All right, fine. Then you stay behind this door, this closed door. You listen, put your ear against it but I won’t walk down this hallway without telling you I’m here and don’t, under any circumstances, leave this room. I don’t care what you hear. Got it?”

James hesitated for a moment but then nodded. “I won’t move, promise.”

Steve nodded and glanced back towards the living room. “Please don’t do anything stupid,” He sighed and James rolled his eyes.

“I won’t if you don’t.”

Steve grimaced and James wanted to groan-loudly-but restrained himself. “Close this door, James. I’ll see you soon.”

He was already walking past the bathroom when James whispered after him. “Be careful, Steve.”

Steve let it carry him back into the living room and settle somewhere behind his ribs. He picked up the all but one of the glasses and went to the kitchen to hide them. When he came back to the sofa, he took a quick look around for anything that might make them think there was more than one person in the house.

He tucked away his first aid kit beneath the sink just as the power cut out. “Let the games begin,” He hummed and went to lay down on the sofa.

He hadn’t even finished making himself comfortable, when he heard the muted sound of glass breaking in the basement. The basement window above the deep freeze he’s seen downstairs. He dragged one of the blankets over him and settled in, glancing over at the open bottle of scotch and single glass still a quarter of the way full with the amber alcohol.

He’d make sure to drink it after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this has received a pretty good response. Shockingly. I'm going to post the rest of what I currently have written, edited and all. Hope it's what you're looking for. <3

“Would you hurry up already? It’s freezing out here,” Colin hissed and Jack grimaced, carefully lowering himself down onto the ice box.

“Be quiet, they might come down to check the breakers.”

Colin shook his head in annoyance but otherwise kept quiet. Once he was in, he glanced up. “Wait here, I’ll come back once I do a lap, okay?”

“I know, might not even be here still. It was only a bit of blood that I could see. Might have moved on-“

“He’s gotta’ be in here. No way you walk through weather like that and not break into the first warmest place you find.”

“How do you know he broke in? They have an alarm system.”

“Well, maybe they didn’t notice, you know, how _Alex_ didn’t.”

Colin huffed but conceded the point. “Maybe he was _let_ in.”

“Maybe,” Jack exhaled steadily and glanced around, flicking on his pocket flash light and taking a look.

There was nothing of note, just a closet, an unfinished space with a deep freeze, a few boxes piled together and a stack of drop cloths splattered with spots of paint. He shook his head and knelt to unlace his boots.

“I’ll be back in a bit, wait here.”

Colin just nodded and folded his arms in front of his chest. It only took a moment for him to climb the stairs, making sure to step quietly. He shivered a little as the warmth filtered in. They were all bundled up but it was still damn cold outside. He huffed softly when he got to the top of the stairs and found the door slightly ajar.

He paused there and tried to see through the small space but could see nothing of note. He listened for a moment and then pushed open the door just enough to let him slip through. Standing in the hallway he could honestly hear nothing much of note.

The crackling of the fire was the first thing he noticed and he could see a bit more light at the end of the hallway. He frowned and kept close to the wall and when he peeked out from around the corner, he could see the glow of the fire but not the fire itself. He shrugged off a bit more of the cold and tried to get a look around the space.

All the drapes were pulled over the front windows and back doors and he knew when they let Alex in, it would be through the back door. He exhaled slowly and took in the sight of a couple of stacked boxes, a few tables sort of stacked on top of one another. What looked like a kitchen table that wasn’t even put together properly, covered in a sheet, all the chairs too.

He realized they’d probably only just moved in recently. He could see a hallway opposite him and a set of stairs to his right and when he glanced over towards the back doors, he could see the open kitchen just to the left of it. There was an island in the middle and he noticed moving boxes there too.

He shifted and looked around the living room again, over towards the sofa and two oversized chairs. There was an end table with a lamp on it that blocked his view of the couch properly but he thought the room looked pretty empty.

He took a few tentative steps and immediately paused when the fire came into view, though, the low burning coals were the least of his worries. _Shit_. He could see a bundle on the sofa and as much as he wished it were only a pile of blankets, he also knew he wasn’t that lucky.

They thought this trip might require some dirty work, _hell_ , he knew what they’d do to James as soon as they found him and it’d been fun too. But he hadn’t anticipated knifing the guy and chasing him through a goddam blizzard.

They’d talked about going in quietly, finding James and basically getting him the fuck out of there. _Why_ they didn’t just kill him, he didn’t know. Except he sort of did and he hated it. But that was the least of his worries right now.

Alex told them if anyone interferes, to take them down. Problem was, they didn’t exactly come fully equipped this time round. He hadn’t even brought anything himself, ready to throw his fists around and be done with it. Alex was the one who liked his guns and well, Colin had enjoyed his knives.

He huffed softly and stood up a little taller, glancing over the edge of one of the chairs to see if he could get a better look at the person. Once he’d seen the guy, he grew much more wary. He was sprawled along the couch and even with the blanket covering him, he looked like he must be tall,whether he was fit was another thing, but the damn blanket was-

 _Ah_ , _he’s been drinking._ He smirked and glanced at the bottle. It was almost half empty. Maybe luck was on his side after all.

.

Steve can hear him breathing from across the room, he’s so goddamn noisy. He wanted to roll his eyes, as such, he continued to breathe even and deep and save the eye rolling for later. A person might say that he should have been scared or at the very least, _worried,_ over his current situation. But those people don’t know Steve Rogers. No, these days, no one but Tony does.

He listens to the man’s footsteps across the hardwood and that lengthy pause lets him know that he’s been spotted and hopefully the booze too. It sounded as if he were approaching again, his steps far more cautious than before.

There was the sound of fabric rustling that threw him for a moment, until he realized the man was digging his hands into the back of the chair near his feet. The sound came from his gloves. Steve held back a soft hum and let out a sleepy sigh instead, shifting lightly against the cushions.

The noise stopped for a long moment, so much so that Steve realized the man was holding his breath. So of course when he next breathed it was near startlingly loud in the quiet space. Not that Steve let on that he’d heard anything at all. The only problem? The man was now significantly farther than Steve cared for.

Honestly, he wasn’t surprised, wouldn’t have expected anything less. He gave the man a few more paces, knowing that he’d almost made it to the hallway, almost made it to the office, even. Steve was faster than that. No matter how quiet this asshole was, Steve was _much_ quieter.

It was so easy to get close, so easy to smother him with the palm of his hand in a bruising grip, to watch the man’s surprise turn to fear in the next moment when he pressed the muzzle of his gun to his temple. It was just as easy and _immensely_ satisfying to bring the butt of the gun down on said temple and watch the fear leave his eyes, watch his consciousness slip.

Steve caught him as he slumped in his grip, carefully lowering him to the floor for a moment. He was near whisper quiet as he approached the office door and breathed, “Open the door very quietly, James.”

The door opened and Steve smiled at him and motioned with the gun to the man on the floor. “He’s knocked out but he will come to eventually.”

James’ grey eyes were beyond wide, so round with shock as his gaze dropped to the mouth of the hallway. “H-how did you?”

Steve’s gaze softened, some of the adrenaline leaving his system. He exhaled shakily and shrugged. “I’ll explain later, there’s another waiting in the basement for his friend, most likely.”

“That’ll be C-Colin.”

“And who’s that?” He asked, gaze never leaving James’.

“Jack, that’s-that’s Jack.”

Steve huffed. “I imagine Alex is hiding in the shed.”

James nodded, already worrying at his lower lip, already dry and chapped between his teeth. “Colin’s the one with the knives, but, what are you going to do with him?”

Steve sighed and let his gaze drop back down to the stranger passed out on the floor. He’d unfortunately not quite gotten that far. He didn’t have any rope and duct tape would definitely be too noisy. He’d have to wait to bring that out later.

“He’ll be out long enough.”

“Long enough for _what?_ ”

Steve’s clear blue eyes flickered back to James and the smile he gave him was a bit sharper than he’d seen of the man thus far. When he didn’t reply, James glanced down the hall, eyes settling back on where Jack was laid out, a bruise blossoming at his temple.

“Stay here, James. I’ll come get you soon.”

“ _Steve-_ “ He whispered, growing urgent as the blond was already heading back towards Jack, the set of his shoulders firm, intimidating and so damn strong. “ _Steve_ , long enough for _what?_ ”

Steve just shook his head and turned to grab Jack under his arms. “Get back in that room and don’t come out.”

James could only stare after him and Steve had to trust that he’d close the door before it became a problem.

.

Fifteen minutes now, it’d been fifteen _fucking_ minutes and Jack _still_ hadn’t fucking returned. “I’m gonna’ kill him,” Colin muttered, glancing back up at the broken window they’d slipped through.

He rubbed at his temples in annoyance and dropped to his knee to remove his boots. _Bullshit_ , _absolute bullshit._ “Guess I’ll just have to deal with this myself,” He muttered, slowly making his way up the stairs.

Just for good measure, he pulled out his switchblade.

.

 _Amateurs._ Steve thought, striding quietly into the kitchen. He could hear the idiot _talking_ to himself, for crying out loud. _Hell_ , Tony could probably hear him from the top of the stairs. He huffed. If it went as he hoped, he’d have _Asshole #2_ on the floor in a matter of minutes, he just had to be patient.

The second was far sloppier in his trek down the hall and into the living room. He _prayed_ Tony didn’t make a sound, didn’t do something stupid. James for that matter too. He breathed in nice and slow and let it out just as slow.

He’d taken up residence in the kitchen, crouched down behind the island. He’d wait for the right opportunity and then he’d slip up behind him and take him out. He just needed to get a look at the guy first.

Within seconds of him having hidden, he could hear the man’s footsteps pause at the mouth of the hallway. He didn’t dare look yet, but something told him, he wasn’t going to be quite as easy to dispatch.

He hated when he was right.

No sooner had the thought entered his mind did he hear the shuffle of _Asshole #2_ ’s steps heading straight into the living room. _At least he didn’t go for the stairs_. He thought wryly. A shot would surely draw the attention of _Asshole #3_ , and he wasn’t quite ready for him yet.

With _Asshole #2_ in the living room, Steve was able to peek around the island and watch as he went to the sofa. He eyed the bottle of scotch and picked it up, holding it by the neck idly for a moment as he looked at the rapidly cooling coals of the fire.

Steve wanted to beat the guy over the head with the damn bottle a moment later when he raised it to his lips to take a swig. Fortunately, in doing so, he caught sight of the blade he was holding in his other hand.

He grimaced and watched as he set the bottle back down on the coffee table and looked to the sliding glass doors. Steve realized only a moment later that the man intended to unlock the door, maybe even open it. He watched as he rounded the side of the couch and Steve couldn’t let him get to the door. If he so much as touched that curtain, no doubt _Asshole #3_ would see and come storming in here and muck up his plan.

He had a damn good plan.

Steve let out a slow breath and moved fluidly from his hiding spot. He knew he couldn’t be seen, the glass covered and hiding his reflection thanks to the drapes. Didn’t mean he didn’t have to be careful, didn’t have to be quick.

But no sooner had he snuck up behind the man, only two feet or so between them, did the man still and then whip around. Steve caught him in the back of the knee and he went down with a sharp gasp that he only just managed to smother with the palm of his hand.

He struggled and Steve tried to wrestle the knife away from him. He was stronger than _Asshole #1_ , he’d give him that. His shouts were muffled beneath his palm and Steve could feel him trying to gnash his teeth so he dug his fingers in harder, stifling him as best he could.

He held the man down with his knees on the backs of his calves and while one of the man’s arms was pinned beneath Steve’s forearm, the one wielding the knife was of more concern. Steve adjusted his grip on the man’s wrist and then there was the satisfying, albeit sickening, sound of the man’s wrist breaking.

The pained groan was as much as Steve let escape before the knife was in his own hand and he was shoving the man down against the hardwood. He wanted nothing more than to bash his head against it but he knew he’d no doubt make a mess of it _and_ make too much noise.

He pulled the man’s head back by the palm over his mouth, rough fingers digging in to his cheeks, and dragged him backwards. He struggled, hadn’t stopped really, but he was pretty useless on his back, stretched out over his middle. He pinned the man’s calves down by winding his legs around them and despite his struggle, Steve knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

He brought the arm he’d used to pin the man’s left up, it thankfully still trapped beneath his and wrapped his hand around the man’s throat. It didn’t take long after that.

Steve was panting, he realized dimly. He’d been too busy focusing on the sounds _Asshole #2_ was making and trying to keep his own down, that he’d barely managed to drag in his own breath while he stole his.

When the man finally went limp, Steve quickly shifted him onto his back, never letting go of his cheeks, fingers aching from the grip. But as soon as he’d straddled the man’s thighs and got a proper look at him, he let go, staring down at this pathetic excuse of a human being. He was passed out, but he wouldn’t be for long.

He tried to calm his own breathing and made the quick decision to _really_ try and knock him out. Lord knows he could stand a good beating. He breathed out roughly through his nose, thinking of the bruises he’d seen on James’ shoulder, his neck, temple and just about every other inch of him. He didn’t know what role he’d played a part in James’ beating, but he had an inkling that this man was responsible for the knife wound he’d had the displeasure of stitching up.

And James had said...he’d said, _one and done kinda guys, you know?_ And it had slithered down his spine in the worst kind of way. He didn’t think twice about holding the man up by the front of his jacket and punching him in the face.

Unfortunately, when you’re pissed off, angrier than you’ve been in a very long time, it’s hard to remember to reign it in.

After the third hit, he was startled by a presence at his shoulder, he dropped the asshole and turned, gun in his hand before he’d even had to think about it. When he spun, his startled gasp was mirrored with James’ own.

“I told you not to leave that room-“ He hissed.

“And I said I wouldn’t do anything stupid if you didn’t,” James snapped right back.

Steve heaved in a lungful of air and quickly flicked the safety on before stashing his gun down the back of his sweats again.

James scowled, shaking his head, but then as Steve got to his feet, his gaze fell to the man on the floor and the frustration left him in a hurry. “Y-you got him.”

Steve nodded and glanced down at his hands, unimpressed to find that his knuckles were bloody, but at least it wasn’t his own. He wiped the blood off on the guy’s pants and stood back up, exhaling deeply.

“What’re you going to do with him?”

“Not your concern just yet, pal,” Steve sighed, shifting to pat him down, finding one more knife and a taser on the inside of is jacket, tucked away in a pocket.

James flinched hard at the sight of it and Steve frowned, his own gaze flickering over the younger man’s frame. He hadn’t seen any burns from the taser, nor did James mention there might be one. So the flinch could only mean that he’d been on the receiving end of said taser before. THe thought made him sick.

“Should you get Tony to go watch the window? I can go up and watch if you want,” James distracted, gaze flickering away towards the stairs.

“I’ll ask Tony to come down and you can go up to watch, okay? I imagine he’s just chomping at the bit to get down here.”

James nodded, his gaze now dropped to Jack sprawled out on the floor and Steve stepped up next to him. “Take these.”

James’ gaze snapped up as Steve offered him the taser and a switchblade and he hesitated a moment before taking them. When Steve merely nodded and moved past him, James turned to watch him go and Steve _knew_ he was probably gaping after him, but he really couldn’t answer the dozen questions James had for him, not right now.

“Pancakes,” He called up quietly and the heavy exhale his friend let out made Steve smile.

“ _Steve-_ “ He hissed and Steve tried to bite back his grin as his friend came rushing down the stairs.

He had to catch the man as he practically flung himself at Steve. “Hey, _hey_ , calm down,” He consoled, chuckling softly as he hugged him.

“You _scared me!_ ” He whisper-hissed, shoving roughly at Steve’s chest.

“I’m sorry, Tony. It’s all right though. I need your help and I’m going to send James upstairs to watch the window in my room, okay?”

Tony worried at his lower lip and nodded, glancing around Steve only to find James standing uncomfortably by the sofa, gaze on something on the flo-

“ _Fuck-_ “

“Relax, come on.”

James glanced up at them as they approached and took a nervous step away from the body on the floor.

“Is he dead?” Tony asked faintly and Steve huffed.

“Sadly, no,” Steve sighed and James blinked at him, because surely he didn’t mean that...

“So, what do you need me to do?”

“Help me lift him? James, go upstairs, at the far end of the hallway, my bedroom is on the right. You’ll be able to see into the backyard from there, just be careful with the drape and stay away from the bathroom. Peter’s hiding in there.”

James nodded, exhaling shakily as he glanced back down at Colin and belatedly wondered where he’d stashed Jack. “Okay, I-I’ll call down if I see anything.”

Steve hummed and nodded, watching as he headed to the stairs. At least he was moving much better now, only a slight limp in his step but even that was too much. When Tony cleared his throat, he quickly snapped his attention back to his friend. “What the hell are we doing here, Steve?”

“Just help me lift him.”

Tony helped lift him.

.

James nervously stepped into the bedroom and was careful to keep quiet as he walked to the window. It took him a moment to work up the courage to draw back the drape but when he did, he was treated to the sight of the blizzard that was still raging outside, worse now, even. He shivered at the sight of the heavily falling snow and let his gaze drop to the snow covered ground. What he could see of it, anyway.

He caught sight of the small woodshed on the other side of the yard, too far for him to really make anything out of it, unfortunately. He found himself squinting into the dark, the snow making him feel dizzy. He blinked the dancing spots from his vision and exhaled shakily. He couldn’t see much of anything what with the snow coming down and how dark it was.

The moon was only so helpful and right now, he really wished he had a damn floodlight. He worried at his bottom lip, but it was useless, he really couldn’t see anything. Regardless, he wasn’t about to stop trying.

.

“Steve...what are we really doing here?”

Steve breathed out slow and controlled and glanced to his friend. “We’re settling a score.”

Tony swallowed thickly and glanced between the two unconscious men, the two unconscious men who were now bound and gagged, lying on the hardwood floor.

“I’ll be right back, keep that gun pointed on them, yeah?”

Tony could only nod and watch as Steve headed for the basement steps. His attention quickly snapped back to the men at his feet, however, and he couldn’t help shaking his head at the sight of them.

“You picked the wrong fucking guy to piss off, assholes.”

.

When Steve returned with two of his painters drop sheets, Tony had to amend his statement. “You _really_ picked the wrong fucking guy to piss off, assholes.”

.

James could hear Tony and Steve moving around downstairs, their voices quiet and muted by the floor between them. But he could make out the scraping of chairs and the sound of duct tape...which was...it was a bit worrying.

He tried not to think about it, instead continuing to focus on the world outside but could still see nothing. He must have made some kind of noise, an annoyed sigh perhaps because not a moment later, did he hear a soft noise coming from the bathroom.

He stilled, recalling the warning that Peter was hiding in there. He didn’t want to scare the kid, even if they had already met. They didn’t know each other and the last thing he wanted was to frighten him.

“ _Hello? Daddy?_ ” Peter called softly and James’ heart squeezed in sympathy.

He wasn’t sure if he should respond but he sounded frightened and he’d do anything he could to reassure the boy. “Your daddy is downstairs, Peter. It’s James, we met a couple hours ago, remember?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” He called and his voice sounded stronger through the door. He must have come closer. “ _Are you okay?_ ”

“I’m alright, kiddo. But your dad asked me to make sure you stay in the bathroom, okay? You have Lily with you, right?”

“ _O-okay, yeah, I have Lily. But we’re scared, daddy said not to come out unless it’s him or Steve._ ”

“That’s good,” Bucky consoled gently. “And I know you’re scared, pal. It’s okay to be frightened. But Lily and your daddy will protect you. Steve and I too, okay?”

“ _Okay_ ,” He whispered quietly and James smiled, glancing back towards the window.

“Lay down with Lily and try to get some sleep. It’s really late, pal.”

Peter merely murmured another quiet, _kay_ and James listened as he climbed back into the tub and started talking quietly to Lily. Kid was sweeter than sugar and it warmed his heart.

.

Steve washed his hands at the sink, Tony standing beside him, drying his own. “What about the other one? His ex?”

Steve glanced towards the back door. “I’ve got an idea to get him out of hiding. I don’t think he’s quite as bold as the other two. The way James spoke about them, led me to believe these were his _hired muscle,_ if you will.”

Tony snorted and passed him the tea-towel to dry his hands. “They don’t look very muscle-y when comparing them to you.”

“That’s a bit unfair, Tones. They have their strengths,” Steve sighed and walked around to stand in front of the two men. He pointed at the one on the left, strapped to the chair. “Like this one for instance. James told me this is Jack and he’s a fan of his fists, I think. Didn’t have a weapon on him and though he tried to be sneaky, he was anything but.”

Tony hummed and looked at the pair warily. “The other?”

“ _Ah_ , that’s Colin. Loves knives and apparently plays with electricity,” Steve explained cooly, voice calm and quiet, dangerous in a way that sent chills down his spine.

Tony’s eyes darted towards his friend. It’d been a long time since he’d seen this side of him. He didn’t exactly care for it.

That was a lie. He’d missed seeing Steve so confident and self-assured. Dangerous was just another side of his friend, one he didn’t see very often. It felt good to know the job hadn’t broken him, not entirely.

“He the one who stabbed James?”

“Pretty sure, yeah,” Steve walked towards the man, his hair a mess of dirty blond strands. He gripped the strands roughly and dragged his head back, baring his throat.

He groaned softly beneath the makeshift gag Steve had bestowed upon him but didn’t come to just yet. Steve let his head drop forward again and _tsked_.

“Are you going to tell me what we’ve got them all tied up for?” Tony asked warily.

Steve cast his friend a careful look. “Do you really need me to answer that, Tones? I’m sure you already know.”

Tony shifted uncomfortably, glancing between the two men. He exhaled shakily and shook his head. “You want me to get James down here yet?”

Steve looked them over critically and nodded. Tony didn’t wait for him to verbally agree and headed for the stairs.

.

“James?” Tony called softly, not wanting to startle the man.

James looked over at him and carefully settled the drape back in place. “Hey, everything okay?”

Tony nodded, worrying at his lower lip as he came into the room. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Did you see anything? Out there, I mean?”

He shook his head, sighing softly. “No, nothing. It’s hard to see anything with all the snow. It’s dizzying if you look at it too long.”

Tony nodded, because yeah, he got that. “Yeah, it’s okay. I don’t think Steve expected you to see anything anyway.”

“What?” He asked warily and Tony shifted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Wanted you distracted for a few minutes. He’s a strategist, if you haven’t already noticed.”

James raised a brow. Because yes, he had. He nodded. “That also why he sent you up here then? As part of his strategy?” His eyes narrowed as he spoke and Tony nodded, dropping his hands and then immediately carding his fingers through his messy darker locks.

“I imagine it is. He knows me, a little too well sometimes,” He huffed, amused at the thought. “He knew I’d come up here and talk to you, try and keep you calm for what you’re about to walk into.”

“What am I about to walk into?” He said quickly, fear lacing his words.

“Nothing that puts you in any danger, whatsoever,” Tony promised, watching as James relaxed slightly but still eyed him warily. “I won’t ruin the surprise, _but_ -“ He went on, raising a hand placatingly to the brunet to stop him from interrupting. “I think it’s important that I tell you a bit about Steve, seeing as you only just met him today.”

James paused. He did actually really want to know more about Steve. He’d been nothing but surprised by the man thus far. He was sure he’d be surprised again. “Go on then,” He murmured quietly.

Tony sighed and nodded, casting a quick look to the closed bathroom door, hoping Peter couldn’t hear him. “Steve’s newly retired, did he mention that?” When James merely shook his head, Tony huffed and continued. “Not surprised, because that would bring up the question of his old job.”

“Which was?”

“ _Exactly_ -“ Tony chuckled and James frowned at him. “All I’ve ever gotten out of him is, _that’s classified_. So, you tell me, James. What kinds of jobs are deemed _classified?_ ”

“Not anything someone would be proud of.”

Tony nodded, pointing a finger at him. “ _Precisely,_ and he did it for years. I know he felt guilty about it, keeping secrets, I mean. Had to lie to his own mother for years, James. Can you imagine how hard that must have been?”

He glanced away but nodded and Tony hummed. “Lied to me for just as long but I wasn’t stupid. I knew he got his hands dirty.”

James glanced away and Tony knew he was trying to picture it. Reconcile the man he’d met with the information Tony was giving him. It never added up. Steve was too much like a teddy-bear. Sweet and warm, kind. But he stood up and brought his own brand of justice down on the heads of people that _deserved it_.

Any time he’d brought his concerns to Steve about his job, the blond would shut the conversation down. It was a _job,_ he’d said. He did it and he was good at it and he rarely had to get his hands dirty. They needed him for his mind more than anything. Guy was smart and that was an understatement.

“How did you meet him?”

The question startled him and Tony blinked. “What?”

“How did you meet Steve?” He asked again, entirely curious and there was a sort of suspicion lurking beneath the words.

Tony looked at the man warily. “Does it matter?”

James stared at him for a long moment. “I met Alex when I was 19. I was in school at the time, attending university too. I ran into him there and he was kind and sweet, everything I wanted in a partner. I guess you could say he, _swept me off my feet_.”

James shrugged lightly and glanced away. “I didn’t see the other side of him for a long time. He kept a huge part of his life from me and it wasn’t until I graduated that I realized why.”

Tony frowned but he was still listening. “I was taking computer science, programming specifically. I specialized in software security, writing it and erasing it.”

“He was using you.”

James nodded, running a shaking hand through his longer locks, now dried in loose waves about his face. “He knew what I was capable before we’d even met. I was targeted and when I graduated, he took over. It was like he’d become this other person entirely, but I was sorely mistaken. He’d been that person long before I’d met him. He’s part of a crime ring, not even close to the top, mind you, but he’s been trying to work his way up through the ranks.”

Tony shook his head. “That’s what you meant by powerful.”

James nodded, tugging at his hair lightly before dropping his hand. “He’s not a good man and neither am I, Tony. He-he’s used me to get what he wanted for the last seven years. I’ve broken into some seriously important organizations. I helped him steal _a lot_ of information.”

“Under duress, _clearly-_ “

“You think a jury would see it that way? What proof would I have? I have nothing, he made sure of that.”

Tony frowned and shook his head. “How you ended up in Steve’s lap, I’ll never know. But I’m going to tell you something and you’re not going to forget it, all right?”

James watched him warily but nodded.

“Steve Rogers will do anything and everything to protect his own. _He’s_ a powerful man and dangerous too, if you’re on the wrong side. I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that whatever you might have done in your past, he would pose no threat to you. Will _never_ pose a threat to you. He’s a teddy bear first and foremost and loves far too fiercely for his own damn good.”

“What does that mean?” James asked curiously and Tony shook his head.

“He only just met you today and he had goddamn hearts in his eyes when he mentioned you and that damn cake, the pie too.”

James’ lips twitched the barest amount and Tony huffed. “What’s so amusing?”

James tilted his head slightly and glanced away. “He tell you he sent a slice over to me?”

Tony’s eyes widened. “Of pie?”

James hummed. “Margaret, the lady who runs the cafe. She brought it over as I was closing up shop. She told me, _that nice new fellow in town wanted me to bring this to you._ I thought I was gonna’ implode with how badly I was blushing. So yeah, I know he’s a goddamn teddy-bear. But everything you’re telling me-“

“It’s hard to reconcile the two, I know,” Tony sighed. “But I just need you to remember that when we go back downstairs. That Steve? That sweet, kind man you met today, who bought you a slice of pie, brought you into his home and patched you up? He’s still there, no matter what he says or does in your presence. Understand?”

James paused and exhaled shakily. “You’re going to have to sit me down and answer my question one day, Tony. Don’t think I’ll just forget about it either.”

Tony laughed and had to cover his mouth to stifle the noise. “All right, pal,” He agreed and watched as James slipped past him with a small smile.”

.

When he hit the bottom of the stairs, he was wholly unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Not even with Tony’s warning. _Hell,_ not even if Tony had told him word for word what to expect, would he have believed him.

He noticed the drop cloths spread out on the floor in front of the back doors first and realized Steve had stoked the fire again, the added light allowing him to see better. He didn’t move from where he’d stepped off the stairs and he knew Tony was behind him, could feel his presence and soon enough, his warm hand between his shoulders, gently urging him forward.

Steve was no where to be seen, mind you, James’ gaze was currently held captive by the sight of the two men duct taped to kitchen chairs. The way their heads lolled told him they were very much unconscious.

“ _Fuck-_ “ He sucked in a breath at the sight and Tony exhaled slowly and gave him a gentle push.

“It’s alright. They haven’t come to yet, they don’t know you’re here, not for sure.”

James was shaking he quickly realized as he let Tony touch his elbow and walk him across the space. They stepped a few paces away from where the drop cloths started and James tried _really_ _hard_ not to think about why they might be needed in the first place.

James nodded at the reassurance belatedly and distantly became aware of Tony moving to lean against the back of the sofa off to his right. He didn’t even hear Steve come back into the room.

“James?”

He jumped just about a foot in the air and winced at the pain in his side as he whipped around to face Steve. “ _Shit_ , you scared me-“

Steve smiled at him apologetically and glanced down to where James had a hand curled around his side, over the knife wound. “That’s my fault, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

James shrugged and glanced back over at the two men with their backs to him at least. He was relieved they were facing the other way.

“It’s okay, was an accident, but w-what’s the-what are you doing with them?”

Steve hummed softly and walked over to the island in the kitchen and James noticed for the first time that he’d been carrying a few things. One thing of note was a hammer. James swallowed thickly and let his gaze follow Steve as he set the hammer down onto the counter where there was the first aid kit open and a cashew tin beside it.

“Steve?” He asked, uncertain and quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Jack and Colin.

“Do you want to sit?” Steve asked him gently, gesturing to where Tony had pulled another chair up behind the couch.

James wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so he figured sitting was a good idea. “Do you have a strong stomach, James?”

James eyed him warily. “Why do you want to know?”

Steve huffed, gaze flickering to Tony briefly before he turned back to the items on the island. He opened the tin and pulled something out, holding it up so James could see it clearly. His face paled at what he saw and Steve looked away, some of the light disappearing from his eyes.

“I know, it’s crude-“

“I have a strong stomach,” James interrupted and Steve’s eyes flashed to his, searching for the lie.

James’ face was pale, yes, but his eyes were wide and dark and flicking between the restrained men and Steve’s hand.

“You can walk away any time you need to,” He murmured, pointedly looking to Tony and then James.

“I’m good,” Tony offered and settled more against the back of the sofa.

“Me too,” James whispered.

Steve exhaled shakily and looked back to the two men but it was clear he wasn’t talking to them when he next spoke. “I don’t want a word out of either of you until I say, _clear?_ ”

“ _Crystal-_ “ Tony responded and James swallowed thickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, this was supposed to be all original characters, but I failed a bit. No different than my failure at life these days. So have some fan fiction. <3


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